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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523184">The Past Shapes the Future</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshyrekaat/pseuds/cheshyrekaat'>cheshyrekaat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Magic MCU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, I do what i want!, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Magic, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, What's a Timeline?, hand-wavy science, impractical technology</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:34:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>38,729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshyrekaat/pseuds/cheshyrekaat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Life had a tendency to surprise them, no matter how prepared they tried to be.<br/>Harry Potter and Tony Stark both wanted the same thing.  Someone to see them for who they were and not be overlooked in favor of their perceived personas.<br/>Neither were prepared to get what they wanted.<br/>In fact, both of them were fine, really.<br/>Just fine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Magic MCU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738999</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Meet the Parents</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Right, so this won't be cannon, hardly at all.<br/>AU! Woo!<br/>There is non-graphic mentions of rape/non-con and underage in this chapter.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Contrary to popular belief, Lucius Malfoy had not been a spoiled, pampered rich kid.  Rich, certainly.  Spoiled and pampered, hell no.</p>
<p>His father was strict and belittling, more often than not, with high expectations of learning and behavior.  When Lucius did well, it was expected.  When he did not, well, then he was punished “appropriately.”  And sometimes excelling was even <i>worse</i> than doing poorly.</p>
<p>Abraxus should not ever have to think that even his son might grow to be better, <i>more</i>, than he himself was.  At anything. </p>
<p>So, Lucius learned to walk the tightrope between his academic (including political studies and estate management) studies and magical studies being good enough and not too much or too little, even if it didn’t seem to matter sometimes and he was punished, anyway.</p>
<p>Things got better for him once he went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin.  He was suddenly surrounded by others who seemed to be in just about the same exact situation that he was in.  Having people who understood with out having to say so was amazing.  In his mind, it was something that the other three houses in the school had never understood.  </p>
<p>They weren’t stuck up, they were guarded.  Well, some of them were stuck up, too.</p>
<p>As time went on, life got a little bit easier for Lucius.  He had friends, after a fashion, was away from his father for months at a time and he began to gain a little confidence and settle into who he was on his own, away from family influence.  Slytherin House was great for that; when it was founded, the main principle was that they were <i>children</i> going to school to learn magic.  Anything else was left at the common room doors.  The common room doors rather than the school doors because Slytherin knew that outside appearances <i>must</i> be kept, no matter what happened in private.</p>
<p>Slytherin House taught them the difference.  Taught them that personal, political and professional feelings didn’t <i>have</i> to be the same.  The students in Slytherin learned that debate was better than arguing, being open to learning new viewpoints was more important than ridged adherence to a belief, research was a good thing and that a united front was a good way to power through most situations.</p>
<p>The success of those lessons varied from student to student, as well as generation to generation.</p>
<p>The point is, Lucius gained confidence as he grew older.</p>
<p>That confidence, combined with hormone-driven, teenaged rebellion, could likely be blamed for the bravado displayed in his summer between his fifth and sixth years when his father told him about the Dark Lord Voldemort and how, upon his majority, Lucius would be expected to serve the man as his father did.</p>
<p>What?</p>
<p>That confidence, combined with the single, raised white-blonde eyebrow and the words that he uttered with confused conviction:<br/>
“Why would I do that?  Why do <i>you</i> do that?  I thought that we <i>Malfoys</i> lead the magical world.”</p>
<p>A shiver of fear went down his spine as he watched his father’s face contort with fury and the next thing he saw was a white ceiling.  When he sat up and looked around, confusion settled in.  What in the world was he doing at St. Mungo’s Hospital?</p>
<p>In the end, the explanation spanned the purview of his healer, a mind healer, a child advocate from the Ministry of Magic, a lawyer and an investigator from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.  </p>
<p>He was indignant, at first, when he met the child advocate, but soon was nothing but grateful once he started to get an idea of what he had done.  Well, what he had been forced to do, anyway.  If he had been an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world, he would have had a MUCH more difficult time after he’d been found.  As it was, child services had been able to step in and make decisions for his treatment and the investigation as his temporary guardian.</p>
<p>He had been quite insistent with his layer about finding out what was going on.  The man had bowed to his wishes and didn’t seem to notice when he began to pale and only stopped his recitation when his advocate had stormed into the room, demanding to know why she hadn’t been notified of the meeting.</p>
<p>He had heard more than enough.  He was sickened at the implications about what had happened.  He had been found outside the manor wards, in a heap aside the road, magically exhausted and unconscious.  Covered in the filth of blood (oh no) and numerous body fluids (oh <i>gods</i> no) that were not his own.</p>
<p>His hidden memories and the state of his mind were what cleared him of any wrong doing.  It was a fact of magic that the Imperius curse would protect the mind of a magical who was forced to do something that was anathema to them.  The memories could be recovered by a mind healer but would not be remembered by the victim.  It was a case of magic protecting its host, as far as anyone could say.  Mental trauma of that nature would destabilize the host and so damage the magic.  That was the theory, anyway. </p>
<p>The article in the Daily Prophet that covered his father’s arrest and trial was where he got most of his information about the actual incident.  He wished he hadn’t been so determined to find out, but hind sight is 20-20 and refusing to listen to one’s elders was a folly of youth.</p>
<p>The DMLE had been able to find the location of the crimes and found several bodies that hadn’t been disposed of.  He now knew that he (his body) had been used in some kind of torture party.  The people were found beaten, raped and with evidence of curses all over them.  They were all non-magical people.  </p>
<p>Lucius’ memories had provided the information about location and the other involved parties.  He had been the only one there who was underage or under the Imperius.  It seemed that his father had chosen to take him to Voldemort and be taught a lesson.  Voldemort had taken over the curse while his father joined him in the horrible acts.  His father had been imprisoned, but Voldemort was still at large.  It was just another law broken, but this time they had hard evidence, should he ever be apprehended, rather than just circumstantial evidence and hearsay.</p>
<p>Once he recovered his composure, he was grateful once again, that he was minor and his name had been kept as clear as possible from the fallout of his father and his lord’s psychosis.</p>
<p>He was released from the hospital before the end of the summer.</p>
<p>Thankfully, he was not required to go into foster care.  He would be allowed to live alone but was to be subjected to wellbeing checkups from his advocate.  His lawyer had recommended an estate manager to help him through becoming the head of House Malfoy and take over the management of his accounts and property.  The Goblins, when he was allowed to visit Gringotts with his new estate manager, were surprisingly helpful.  </p>
<p>And Lucius’ life went on.  </p>
<p>He went back to school in the fall.  He eventually graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the top 5 of his class.  He checked his finances and paid out the penalty required to dissolve the marriage contract to Narcissa Black that his father had signed for him.  He refused to marry into a family the supported Voldemort.</p>
<p>He moved on with his life, married a lovely, half-blood woman named Gloria Strand and had a son that they named Draco.  He rarely ever thought about what had been done to him.  And really, who could blame him?  Yes, it had changed the trajectory of his life, but he was certainly not unhappy with where he had ended up.<br/>
And that would be the case until they went to set up Draco’s accounts as the heir Malfoy.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p> What many people seemed to not know, was that Squibs were quite talented.  They didn’t have much access to magic, only enough to be considered a magical being, really, but they all had <i>something</i>.  </p>
<p>Cassandra Cloverleaf was a descendant of a quite astonishingly talented seer, Cassandra Trelawney.  Named after the woman, in fact.  She was too young to really remember much about magic when her family was killed on a diplomatic mission in Russia.  Too young for her parents to have given up hope that she was more than a Squib.  Her magic had just not manifested, of course.  She must be a late bloomer.</p>
<p>Alas, she was not.</p>
<p>She was, in fact, a Squib.  A quite talented Squib, but a Squib nonetheless.</p>
<p>This fact did not matter to the people who killed her parents.  They didn’t know anything about magic or squibs.  They only knew that her parents had been targets and she was the <i>perfect</i> age to be handed over to the Red Room.  And little Cassandra, age three, <i>knew</i> that she was going to be just fine.</p>
<p>Sort of.</p>
<p>As she got older, she did what was expected of her.  She learned, she fought, she danced, she acted, she killed.  She had countless trainers and there were countless girls that came and went through the program.  Obviously, not all of them stayed (lasted) very long, but Cassandra…well, she was <i>almost</i> perfect.</p>
<p>What she did NOT do, was become brainwashed.  This did not mean that she was any kind of healthy, well-adjusted person.  It only meant that, throughout the years, she <i>knew</i> that she had to go through this to make it to the next thing.  And the next thing would not be worse, it would be marginally better, even.  </p>
<p>The thing after that, however, would be THE worst. (She knew even that, not knowing what it was, would be incredibly difficult and awful but would lead to the great joy of her life.)</p>
<p>At the onset of puberty, the girls were given the feminized version of the Super Soldier Serum that Hydra had developed.  Through trial and error, the administrators of the facility had learned that the body accepted the changes the serum provoked when the body was already prone to change.  The girls’ bodies adapted much better to the serum in that period of flux than at any other times.  </p>
<p>For Cassandra, who was no longer called Cassandra, her magic got just a little kick.  Not much of a kick, but enough to let her sense things about people.  It certainly gave her a leg up in her training, her intuition was definitely something they hadn’t previously seen.  Even after she instinctively toned what she reacted to <i>way</i> down.  It wouldn’t do to be <i>too</i> special, after all.</p>
<p>When she was just about to turn eighteen, she was waiting for her last “test” before graduation.  She was excited and not showing it, given that she wasn’t supposed to have any idea that she had progressed to that point.  She had to suppress a grin as the administrator strode toward her, unable to keep her anger from leaking out across her features.  Cassandra was almost giddy.  The next thing was <i>finally</i> here.</p>
<p>And the next thing came in the form of Anatoly Chernov, petty gangster with the fortunate sense to have blackmail material on the right person and the right amount of clout to not get killed over it.  Anatoly was a clever man, and while he was never going to rise terribly high in the ranks, he figured that with a Black Widow by his side, he would survive much longer.  </p>
<p>He wasn’t wrong.</p>
<p>He wasn’t right, either.  Even though he’d managed to finagle just the right circumstances to land a learned and clever wife, the Red Room knew (thought they knew) <i>exactly</i> what they were doing when they decided that Cassandra would be the perfect one for him to cleave to.  And Cassandra <i>knew</i> exactly what they expected from her.  </p>
<p>In the end, nothing went anyone’s way except Cassandra’s.  </p>
<p>She played the dutiful wife, never became a mother, protected him from certain threats and convinced him that his money should be invested in her name to avoid the seizure of assets.  He did not know that she meant her real name.  Nor did he know what she invested in, or where.  She, however, <i>knew<i> exactly what she was doing when she opened investment accounts and insisted on owing large amounts of shares in Microsoft, Apple and Stark Industries.  Over the years, there were more, but those were the foundation of her later good fortune.</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>For two years she kept up the façade of the “wife” that Anatoly wanted.  She helped him, kept him out of trouble, killed when necessary, manipulated, found out secrets; all the things that were expected of a perfectly trained Red Room asset.  Then, she allowed the planted servant to blow up their house while they were in it.<br/>
Anatoly Chernov’s body was recovered in the wreckage of the house and pronounced dead.  His wife, Marianna Chernov was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.  The self-administered drugs, bribes and body swap had been arranged well ahead of time.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The Chernov’s had always kept their affairs neatly in order and so the transfer of accounts and property to the inheritor went quickly.  The English woman, Cassandra Jones (an identity established as soon as she left the Red Room) was, understandably, too distraught at the loss of her “friends” to go to Russia and instead had her lawyers handle the transfers.  That all Russian holdings were liquidated was not surprising and it was quickly forgotten.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Cassandra Jones, formerly Cassandra Cloverleaf, celebrated her twentieth birthday in England.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Unfortunately, she let her guard down for just a moment during that celebration and she ended up kidnapped.  She had been taking a moment to enjoy her newfound freedom, thinking about what she should do next.  So, with wandering thoughts, she didn’t notice the attention on her and she certainly had no way to detect the spell headed her way.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When she next woke, there was a moment of pure despair before she faced the worst of her life with determination.  This was it, she <i>knew</i>.  That thing that would lead to her greatest joy.  She did not yet understand how, but she would bear this as best she could.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Almost as if it were a reward for her determination, she was sucked into her first, and it would prove to be her only, vision.  While her body was abused, her mind was being shown infinite possibilities of the next 20 years.  She understood, finally, how such brutality could lead to her happiness.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When she regained control of her body (<i>magic</i> her mind whispered, she’d been held with <i>magic</i>) she assessed her situation.  She was laying among the dead.  She had not been the only one brought to this low, but she was the only one that had survived.  The men were obviously sloppy, at this point, and she managed to get out between them leaving to rest and the disposal of the bodies.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She managed to get out of the run-down manor house and made her way to the nearest village.  She collapsed outside a building just as dark blue of the night sky started to shift and lighten to prepare for sunrise.   She passed out, keenly aware that her body was healing, but not a quickly as normal. </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When she woke, she learned that she had collapsed in the most fortuitous of places.  Outside a healer’s home.  She was taken in and cared for. It was odd, for her, to be cared for.  To have someone consult her about her needs.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>She learned that she was what was called a Squib and that this healer was confounded by what she had survived and was healing on her own before the addition of potions and spells.  She was invited to stay when a diagnostic scan a week into her convalescence showed that she was pregnant.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The healer, Maribell Hansen, offered to teacher her about the magical world.  It was obvious from the both the physical and spell damage that whatever had happened to Cassandra had been at the hands of magicals.  In her mind, it was only logical to assume that the child would be magical, as well.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Cassandra agreed.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>And so she stayed and learned.  She refused to be a burden, though, so one of the first things she learned about was magical banking.  Cassandra <i>loved</i> the goblins of Gringotts.  She smiled at them, her grin almost as vicious as their own and asked just about the only question that could endear a human to them.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“How do I make money in the magical world?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>With the goblins on her side, her life now, as well as later, would be much easier.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>As the months went by, she learned the cultural history, the current political climate, how the society was set up.  She learned basic potions and just how day to day life worked for magicals.  She and Maribell also spent time out in the non-magical world and she learned the same things there.  Actual history, rather than the skewed Red Room doctrine, what the political climate was, what was going on in the world, in general.  She had no need to catch up on technology, but she made sure to keep up with it and not get lax about her knowledge.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Around the seventh month of her pregnancy, Cassandra decided that it was time to tell Maribell about her history with the Red Room.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The conversation went even better than she thought that it would.  Cassandra had thought that Maribell would need a fair amount of time to think about it and be convinced, but she had forgotten that Maribell was Muggle-born.  Maribell had grown up learning about muggle governments and military and her parents had loved, still loved, debating conspiracy theories.  And there were theories aplenty about super soldiers, sleeper agents and spies from all around the world.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Shortly after the last secrets between them were gone, they started to discuss their future.  Some where along the line, they decided that they were in it together, whatever “it” turned out to be.  After Cassandra gave birth, they would go to America.  It only made sense, the magical world there was less stifled and, between the two of them, they had plenty of resources to have the kind of home they would want for the child.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>And so, they planned and plotted, port-keyed back and forth, bought a place and got it ready.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Then, Enyo Jones was born.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Enyo's Heritage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Enyo's birth certificate adventures.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Non-graphic mentions of bad things.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before the Birth Certificate for Enyo Cloverleaf Jones could be filed with the records office, it had to be filled out.  The non-magical paperwork would be easy, as it was filled out by hand, but the magical certificate, well, it was filled out by magic and magic had decided that there was a problem.</p>
<p>Magic <i>did</i>, in fact, fill out the birth certificate, but it couldn’t be right.  After all, even magical children only had <i>two</i> biological parents.  But, on Enyo’s birth certificate, there were two names on the line for the father, written over the top of one another, making either name impossible to read.</p>
<p>Maribell was confused, to say the least.  She had never seen, much less heard of, anything like it.  She had not overseen many births in her short medical career, but she was sure this kind of thing would have been covered, somewhere in her education.</p>
<p>She did have a guess, though.</p>
<p>Magic was very influenced by intentions.  Cassandra had been put through pretty much the worst thing that a woman could experience, and the perpetrators had used magic to perform the horrible acts that had been visited upon her.</p>
<p>So, Maribell had an idea, which she relayed, hesitantly to Cassandra.  Cassandra listened to Maribell, thought for a moment, smirked and decided that they were going to talk  to the goblins.  The goblins were the those who verified inheritance and had a knowledge of magics that was unparalleled by any other magical society.<br/>Cassandra also <i>knew</i> that they had access to family histories, charters and would know how to safeguard the intricacies of Enyo’s blood.</p>
<p>Truly, if it weren’t bound so thoroughly by treaties, the goblins would be ruling the magical world.</p>
<p>It took three days to sort out.</p>
<p>Three days of test after test, on both Cassandra and Enyo, for the goblins to come to any sort of conclusion about what had happened.  Cassandra, herself, was unique in ways they hadn’t seen, but Enyo was even more so; unique in ways they had never even thought to speculate about.</p>
<p>The three of them sat, waiting to hear the results from their accounts manager, Longfang. Cassandra sat in one of the chairs in the office that Maribell had spelled more comfortable for her to sit in with Enyo.  Enyo, for all that she was only a few days old, was very aware; gurgling happily and tracking her mother’s face with her eyes.  Maribell sat in a chair next to them, fidgeting nervously while they waited.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” Cassandra said, smiling at her when the door opened.  “It won’t solve anything.”</p>
<p>Maribell blew out a breath and faced forward as Longfang settled into his seat behind the desk.</p>
<p>“You know, that doesn’t make me feel better.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>There wasn’t really much to feel better about.</p>
<p>Except that, from their testing (they wouldn’t run any tests on a newborn until they had run all the standard health tests), the goblins thought that there was very little that would ever actually harm Enyo.  She was a sturdy little thing with a <i>massive</i> magical core. </p>
<p>The down side of that was that her magic would require constant training because her accidental magic was likely to be dangerous to anyone and anything around her.  That fact began the discussions about where they were planning to live and what magical modifications their home would require.  The goblins asked Cassandra to consider a goblin nanny/bodyguard for Enyo; goblins trained their young from infancy, much in the way Enyo would require, and they would know how to protect their home, magically.</p>
<p>Of course, it had nothing (everything) to do with the panic that Enyo had caused when her magic had reached out for goblin magic every time it was used near her.  Her magic seem to reach out to <i>all</i> magic.  They had tested it against several other sentient creatures and she would likely be able to use it all, if trained properly.  And the goblins, well, they had the contacts to make that happen.</p>
<p>They had been baffled by her physical strength, as well as the speed at which she had started tracking with her eyes and responding to stimulus with sound.  Her brain’s development was quite advanced and progressing rapidly; it was likely that it would take her much less time than usual to form neural pathways.  </p>
<p>Once Cassandra had actually explained to them about the serum she had been given as a child, she had been subjected to a barrage of tests so they could try to understand.</p>
<p>They could see the serum and its affects in her system.  They thought that, with some research, they could probably neutralize it.  When she was asked, Cassandra was completely against that, and if her daughter was going to need her to be that strong, well, would there be a way to make sure it was unequivocally permanent?</p>
<p>Since it was something that they had never encountered before, the goblin healers and researchers were salivating at the idea of looking into it.  A deal was worked out, and a contract was signed.  They could study it, yes, and help Cassandra if they could, but they <i>could not</i> use her blood to try and recreate the serum or its effects.</p>
<p>It was the best compromise they were able to come to.</p>
<p>Once the goblins knew what they were looking for, they discovered that the serum had passed on to Enyo during  gestation and had bonded with her DNA during development.  There was no chance of it ever <i>not</i> being a part of her and it was likely the reason her magical core was so strong, as well.  A magical being’s magic was not separate from them.</p>
<p>Once they had settled the matter of how healthy the mother and child were, they moved on to the most pressing concern of the child’s birth certificate.</p>
<p>It took a simple, magical, combined maternal/paternal test for the answer.  The results were surprising, to say the least.</p>
<p>Name: Enyo Cloverleaf Jones Malfoy Riddle</p>
<p>Mother: Cassandra Jones, formerly Cassandra Cloverleaf, aka Marianna Chernov</p>
<p>Natural Father: Lucius Malfoy</p>
<p>Magical Father: Tom Marvolo Riddle</p>
<p>“Wait, wait, wait,” Maribell said, “Lucius Malfoy?  How?  He’s still a minor!”</p>
<p>“Well,” Cassandra said, “remember the papers from shortly after you found me?  Wasn’t his father arrested for pretty much exactly what happened to me?”</p>
<p>Maribell paled, “Oh gods, does that mean this Riddle is who cast the Imperius?  Oh shit, is that who Voldemort is?”</p>
<p>Longfang looked at the both blankly, for a moment unable to comprehend the cluster-fuck that this was turning out to be.  He knew of the Malfoy boy’s troubles, but none of them had considered this.  It had been reported that everyone other than the Malfoys and Voldemort had been dead at the scene.</p>
<p>“I think, before any decisions are made on how to approach this mess, we should giver Enyo an inheritance test.”</p>
<p>Cassandra hummed for a moment before she grinned.</p>
<p>“Certainly,” she said, still smiling, “take all the time that you need.”</p>
<p>The results of that test were even more interesting.</p>
<p>Enyo was the heir of the both the Malfoy and Slytherin lines.</p>
<p>Now, Cassandra was only just learning about magic and Maribell was a muggle born witch.  Neither of them really knew what this would mean for Malfoy, much less Slytherin.  And they <i>really</i> had no idea how this would affect Enyo.</p>
<p>Longfang, however, looked as disturbed as a goblin could look.</p>
<p>It was a bit of a surprise when he let out a string of gobbledegook that could be nothing but curses.  Cassandra and Maribell looked at each other for answers, and getting none, looked back at Longfang to wait for him to finish.</p>
<p>When he did, he glared at their irreverent grins.</p>
<p>“Give us a week to research.”</p>
<p>When the small family left, they did take a goblin nanny-guard with them.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>A week later found them back in Longfang’s office.  He was still not terribly happy with things, but they had some kind of answer to the question of what had happened.</p>
<p>In short, Enyo Jones’ inheritance test had given the goblins a reason to dig out their self updating copies of the Malfoy and Slytherin family charters, as well as officially request and receive the copy of Lucius Malfoy’s memories of the events that transpired while he was under the Imperius curse.</p>
<p>Cassandra was there, plain as day, in the memories.  The only reason she had lived, was that the men had been lazy about disposal.  Being left in the heap, her body had had the time to heal enough to get out.  It was a testament to both the serum in her blood and her own abilities that she had managed to get out, at all, much less get as far as she had before passing out, again.</p>
<p>It was quite horrible, altogether.</p>
<p>But, given the evidence, it was more than obvious that the child had claim to the Malfoy name.  And considering that Voldemort had cast the spells and spoke the commands that forced him, there was claim there, as well.</p>
<p>It was all spelled out in their family charters, after all.</p>
<p>The Malfoys were and old family, around for centuries.  Caretakers of their land and the people in Europe long before their numbers dwindled and they settled in Britain.  They punished their own much more harshly than they did anyone else for crimes against the people.</p>
<p>So the Malfoy charter, and the magic behind it, accounted for such an act of cruelty performed on another by their bloodline.  The victim, if so inclined, could take the holdings of the Malfoy involved.  However, if there was a child resulting from such an act, that child would become the inheritor of those holdings.</p>
<p>And since Lucius Malfoy was now the head of House Malfoy, everything of his, by right become everything of Enyo’s.  </p>
<p>Cassandra had a rather pragmatic response to the whole thing.</p>
<p>“I have no desire to punish that poor boy for the actions of his father and that other maniac,” she stated firmly, “and if I raise this child right, she won’t, either.  However, he does have a right to know that he fathered a child, and she will have the right to make that decision for herself.”</p>
<p>Maribell sighed next to her.</p>
<p>Cassandra rolled her eyes before she asked, “Does the Malfoy charter allow the child of such a coupling to waive the right to inherit?”</p>
<p>Longfang almost sputtered at the thought of <i>not</i> taking an opportunity to expand their holdings, but even he was slightly ill at the whole situation.</p>
<p>“Yes, it does,” he allowed.</p>
<p>“Good,” Cassandra said and decided to move them along.  “Now, what about the Slytherin charter?”</p>
<p>Longfang scowled a little bit before he too moved on.</p>
<p>“The Slytherin charter is, well, odd,” he paused to look at his notes.  “Salazar Slytherin was not a sentimental creature, by any account.  He did, however, want his magics and line to survive.  His line is one of the few that hasn’t followed along the most direct line for inheritance, but rather went to the most magically suitable.  Unfortunately for Mr. Riddle, this is the first time he or his <i>magic</i> has been involved in any acts that resulted in a child.  Generally, his followers act under their own power.  As far as we can tell, he has never <i>bodily</i> participated, either.”</p>
<p>Everyone in the room shuddered just a bit. </p>
<p>Longfang continued, disgusted, “And since magic has made Enyo the Slytherin heir, it is our presumption that he <i>can’t</i>, and this is the only way there <i>could be</i> an heir.  Chosen by his actions and magic.”</p>
<p>He paused at the expressions of disgust from the women present and checked on the child staring at him in an unnerving manner for one so young before he continued.</p>
<p>“However,” he continued, “while Tom Riddle does call himself the heir of Slytherin, he has never actually claimed the title and all that goes with it.  So, we can’t be sure, but we suspect that he is no longer the heir, and so cannot become the Lord.  But Enyo can, once she reaches her majority.”</p>
<p>Maribell blew out a breath before she asked, “I don’t suppose she can choose to waive the rights to this one?”</p>
<p>“No,” was the flat reply.</p>
<p>“Well,” Cassandra said, “it was worth asking, anyway.  I suppose we will have to include tutors for this kind of thing, as well.”</p>
<p>Longfang did his best to shrug, “Well, there are no longer any properties, people or funds to manage; learning to manage your own wealthy estate should suffice.  There is a vault full of books and artifacts that are left of the Slytherin estate, though.”</p>
<p>“Do we need to worry about family magics manifesting?” Maribell asked, already resigned to the likely answer.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Longfang told them, “from <i>both</i> families.  Heir or not, she is a child of the lines.”</p>
<p>“I don’t suppose there is some sort of manual for that kind of thing?” Cassandra took a turn asking.</p>
<p>“No, there isn’t,” Longfang gave her a toothy smile, “the closest thing you will find, which we can provide to you, is a compendium of known family magic, in general.  It will list what they might be, but not how they work, or how to work with them.”</p>
<p>Cassandra grinned at him and winked before saying, “Of course, we thank you for any help you can provide.”</p>
<p>Longfang’s smile soured as Cassandra effectively removed the cost of such an item.  It was his own fault for not stating the price with the offer.</p>
<p>The women and child soon left his office, hopefully to not darken his doorway for at least another week.  They left with the compendium previously spoke of, as well as a list of the best tutors in the different branches of magic for the young one and plans to transfer the library in the Slytherin Vault to their new home, once they were in it and the property was properly warded.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Once Cassandra and Maribell made it home and put Enyo down for the night, they discussed what they had found out from the goblins.</p>
<p>In the end, the knowledge didn’t really change their plans.  </p>
<p>The investments that Cassandra had made had increased her wealth exponentially and would continue to do so.  It had not put too much of a dent in her overall wealth to purchase a ridiculously sized (10 bedroom, 7 bathroom) home in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  It was more than worth it, for her, to own their home.  She also had had a rather insistent feeling that they would need the space at some point.  The top two floors were already set up as apartments that could be rented out for the time being.</p>
<p>Maribell had already gotten a job as a healer in the magical district close to their new house.  She also was enrolled in college, pre-med, to go onto medical school later.  She wanted to be qualified for magical and non-magical healing.  She had always planned for it, but now had the perfect opportunity to follow that dream she had of a holistic practice of her own.</p>
<p>Cassandra had an idea for a discrete private investigations business.  She knew that she wouldn’t be giving up her spy-craft or letting her physical skills go to waste.  It would give her a cover for the fact that she was just nosy, sometimes, and couldn’t always leave well enough alone.</p>
<p>And Enyo. Well, she would grow up with as many advantages as they could give her.  She already was a quite observant child.  Cassandra would bet that when she started talking, it would be with fully formed words and sentences with thought behind them would follow quickly.  </p>
<p>The goblins had been right to send them with the nanny-guard.  Silverleaf was quite gentle with Enyo and had set about warding their temporary quarters safe from any accidental magic (as well as outside interference) and was already showing Enyo magic and teaching her about it.  It wouldn’t be long before the child started to understand.</p>
<p>All in all, the little family had plans in place that didn’t need to change.  </p>
<p>In a week, they would be ready to depart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Comments, kudos are welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Early Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A brief summary of the years leading up to the next meeting with the Lucius Malfoy</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, yeah, totally AU and without following the original timeline, AT ALL.  I don't really want to write the 80s...<br/>Also, the Hunter College Campus Schools do exist, but I doubt the function in the way that I have written.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thankfully, the US Embassy in London had done a lot to smooth their way into moving and living in the United States.  Cassandra had hired lawyers to handle that and those lawyers would let them know what they needed to do or provide for the necessary formalities of gaining either a green card or citizenship for the three of them.</p>
<p>Neither of them had a criminal record, Maribell had already been accepted at Columbia University and Cassandra was wealthy enough to be given a pass.  Their lawyers didn’t anticipate any problems, so the women were happy to leave them to it.</p>
<p>The magical side, however, was, surprisingly, after the UK’s Ministry of Magic, much less complicated.  MACUSA considered the UK to be in a cival war, so the women were <i>obviously</i> refugees.  Thankfully, as a squib with a magical child, Cassandra was covered by the protective umbrella of the magical community.  <br/>They were given immediate asylum and temporary citizenship while their permanent paperwork was pending. </p>
<p>All in all, it didn’t take them much time to get into the country and then to their new home.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>They settled in slowly, giving themselves time to get to know their new home and the area that they lived in.  </p>
<p>Cassandra wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself once Maribell went off to school, so she decided to explore the great New York City.  Sometimes she took Enyo with her and sometimes she didn’t.  Silverleaf had been very clear about the kinds of outings that a child less than a year old could accompany her on.</p>
<p>That had been a battle that Cassandra had not won.  She wanted Enyo with her all the time.  Silverleaf disagreed.  Adamantly and in such a way that Cassandra was wary of pissing off any goblins in the future.  (Only because she had a highly developed sense of self preservation, not because she was scared or anything silly like that.)</p>
<p>As for Silverleaf, she loved her new post.  She enjoyed the two women and their startling lack of care they had for what most considered “proper.”  To them, Sliverleaf was not a servant, but a dear friend.  A dear friend and teacher that was ferocious in her protection of their child and their home.  </p>
<p>They had also acquired two house elves to help with the house, the small garden and the cooking.  The two elves, renamed Jack and Sally, had flatly refused to take the fifth floor apartment as their own and instead made themselves a nest in the basement.  Cassandra was doubtful about how happy they could be there, but Maribell assured her that it was more than they were used to having and counseled patience with them and their almost tears every time they were treated with courtesy.  They were used to being treated as lesser, after all, and it would take them awhile to get used to it.</p>
<p>(It turned out that the house elves absorbed genuine care and affection and became more like the lovely, ethereal beings you might expect elves to be, just, you know, smaller. But that took a few years.)</p>
<p>All in all, the first couple years were easy.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>By the time Enyo was three, she was running everyone but Maribell ragged.  </p>
<p>Enyo seemed to know that Maribell was in school for something that was very important to her and needed the time and space to focus on that.  Enyo really only saw her during family time each day, which was often dinner and a movie.</p>
<p>Enyo was the perfectly behaved angel that she looked like during those times.  Her cascade of spiraling white blond curls framed round, amethyst eyes that were set in an angular face with high cheekbones, a full mouth and a pert chin.  All in all, she looked like Legolas’ prettier sister, if he’d had one in the books. (It wasn’t until after Maribell graduated and was starting up her practice that she began to understand what the others had gone through.)</p>
<p>Cassandra had been correct in her thinking that Enyo would start speaking in actual words at four months and sentences by the time she was a year old.  For the two human women, they knew it was early, but didn’t really understand the just <i>how extraordinary</i> it was, as they had not prior experience with children.  </p>
<p>Even before Enyo figured out how to walk at six months, her body had leaned out and burnt off all of her baby fat.  Her body was slim and sturdy, ready for optimal physical performance at any time.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before they started her on an exercise regime to burn off her excess energy.  They started with yoga and tai chi before they had to up the ante, so to speak, when she sneaked in to where her mother worked out.  <i>She</i> wanted to do <i>that</i>, too.  </p>
<p>They compromised with the rather stubborn toddler when they found her trying to practice by herself.  She started learning the mixed fighting style her mother knew, but only if she still did the yoga and tai chi.</p>
<p>Of course, Silverleaf was not to be outdone and began Enyo on Goblin Warfare.</p>
<p>Shortly after she turned two, Silverleaf stopped just reading to Enyo and started teaching her to read in English, Latin and Gobbledegook.  She picked them all up rather quickly and learned to speak them at the same time.  It was cute how she mixed them all together for a while, before she got the hang of them being three different languages.</p>
<p>Cassandra in turn taught Enyo to read and speak in Russian, Ukrainian and Farsi.  Then, because she knew that Silverfang was plotting to start her weapons training, jumped the gun and went out and bought Enyo her first knife.</p>
<p>And that was maybe the first <i>actual</i> mistake, because Enyo had a <i>thing</i> for metal.  </p>
<p>Before that, her magic had behaved fairly normally.  It had started a little early and was maybe more often and stronger than usual, but nothing that was hard to handle.  This, however, was the first manifestations of her family magic.</p>
<p>Jack and Sally saved the day.  </p>
<p>Silverleaf hadn’t been there (because Cassandra was trying to get one up on her), and Cassandra had been far too startled to and too busy making sure that Enyo was ok and calling for the house elves  to just <i>stop the fire from spreading, oh my god.</i></p>
<p>Apparently, the Slytherin Earth magic and Malfoy Fire magic did <i>not</i> cancel one another out, as they, maybe (kinda), hoped they would.  After the house elves put the fire out and fixed the floor, Sally handed the knife back to Cassandra with as much as an admonishing look as she dared.</p>
<p>Cassandra blinked at the knife in her hand, “This is not the knife I gave her.”</p>
<p>Cassandra, Silverleaf (who had arrived when the ward reported the fire) and the house elves all stared at Enyo, who just shrugged.</p>
<p>“That’s what it wanted to be.”</p>
<p>Silverleaf was very careful to hide her glee at this development behind a god awful snarl at Cassandra and her foolishness.</p>
<p>“What?”  Cassandra asked defensively, almost shouting, “It’s not like <i>any</i> of us knew something like that would happen.”</p>
<p>Which was true.</p>
<p>Enyo was just upset that she had dropped her new friend.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>At dinner that night, Maribell laughed at the descriptions, not really believing that Enyo had done such a thing.  Right up until she whipped her head around to a small fire that she saw in her peripheral vision.  In fact, everyone at the table was suddenly looking in the same direction.</p>
<p>“What?,” Enyo asked, drawing her finger back from what used to be a fork laying beside her plate.  “It wanted to be a spoon.”</p>
<p>When Silverleaf suggested that she take Enyo to the goblins to learn to control her new magics, she was met with agreement.  Silverleaf grinned her frightening grin and almost chortled in her excitement.</p>
<p>This child would make enchanted items to rival that of the founder’s items.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>About the time Enyo turned four, a no-maj born found a way to make electricity and magic work together.  Eric Maitland, after years of study and work, made a series of rune sequences that allowed ambient and direct magical energy to be converted into electrical energy and either stored or used immediately.  </p>
<p>Cassandra promptly went out and spent a fair chunk of her (approaching ridiculous proportions) fortune on the rights to the rune sequences and patented it.  The contract that she entered with Mr. Maitland would benefit them both, once she figured out how to get the magical world on board with a technological revolution.</p>
<p>(It wouldn’t be hard, in the end.  Maribell was ecstatic about the idea of not having to have separate offices for her work.  And a laptop that she didn’t blow up with frustration all the time.  Other half-bloods and no-maj born were the same.  Eventually, even Purebloods joined the cause, not being able to stand having less then then best.) </p>
<p>She set Eric to work on figuring out batteries.  She figured there had to be a few squibs working as electricians that could help her out with houses, starting, of course, with her own.</p>
<p>Before too long, Cassandra was the very confused owner of a small manufacturing firm with a division dedicated to converting magical homes to use electricity.  She wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, really, just that more and more people came to her about what they could make and before she knew it, she had a company.</p>
<p>Thankfully, the goblins were <i>happy</i> to help her vet the necessary people to run the firm.  Cassandra was good at knowing who would be loyal and the goblins were good at knowing who could actually do the job required.  </p>
<p>So, the goblins had a stake in her company, which was fine, because it really only made it <i>more</i> profitable and they made sure it grew over the years.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Thankfully, one of the benefits of having a home in which they could use electricity, and therefore electronics, was that Enyo wouldn’t be behind her peers when she went to school.  While she knew what things were, she hadn’t yet wanted to use a computer, tablet or cell phone.  She was still far too enamored with metal smithing and the exercise program (that had progressed to combat training) to worry about much else.</p>
<p>They had decided that she could go to public school until her formal, magical education would begin at eleven.  MACUSA didn’t care what kind of home schooling a child may of may not have had, they went to school until they passed the necessary wizarding tests.  They could be taken early, but not more then two years earlier than the standard.</p>
<p>When she was five, she had enough control to be out in the non magical world, so they decided that it would be fine if she went to primary school at six years old, when her peer group would usually start school.</p>
<p>With the decision made, off to school she went.</p>
<p>Before lunch period on Enyo’s first day of school, the administrators called Cassandra and asked her to come and speak with the principal and Enyo’s assigned teacher after school.</p>
<p>Cassandra quickly agreed, curious as to what trouble her kid had gotten into, already.  Hopefully, she didn’t set anything on fire.</p>
<p>Enyo had managed to upset just about everyone she interacted with, though.</p>
<p>Cassandra sat next to her daughter in the principal’s, Mr. Dole, office, not reacting to the man trying to stare her down.  He was a stern, rather bland looking man.  Brown eyes, receding brown hairline, portly and clearly unimpressed with either Enyo or Cassandra.</p>
<p>“Ms. Jones,” Mr. Dole said after the standard introductions, “where would you say Enyo is, developmentally?”</p>
<p>Cassandra’s mind immediately shifted to calculating as she formulated an answer.  </p>
<p>“Ahead of the curve,” was her blunt answer.</p>
<p>“So you realize that she is ahead of her peers?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Well,” she said with a congenial smile, “none of us in the house had a <i>conventional</i> education or much experience with other children.  We assumed that she wasn’t too far ahead, and that and <i>educational institution</i> would be equipped to handle her continued learning.”</p>
<p>Mr. Dole sighed heavily as he sat back in his seat, and Cassandra could see him deciding that being confrontational would get him nowhere.</p>
<p>“Alright,” he said after a moment of thought, “you are correct, she is ahead, and normally, we can deal with students a little bit ahead of the peer curve.</p>
<p>“However,” he stressed, “Enyo is far ahead of our ability to accommodate.”</p>
<p>Cassandra smiled and reached over to pat her daughter’s knee, she was starting to fidget, before she got too anxious about the conversation.</p>
<p>“Do you have a suggestion of where we could start looking for a school that could?” she asked with a much more genuine smile than the first, “she would really like to attend school.”</p>
<p>Mr. Dole smiled in return and said without hostility, “I think we can get you started.”</p>
<p>They managed to find a school that was willing to work with Enyo.</p>
<p>Hunter College Elementary Schools was a school for gifted children, close to their home, even, that would keep her close to her age group but design a curriculum for her that was reflective of her learning potential.  She would not be the only child with their own curriculum, but they made no bones about the fact that she was the most advance six year old they currently had, much less ever had.</p>
<p>Enyo and Cassandra were both thrilled to get her attendance settled.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>It wasn’t until Enyo had asked them for a computer that they thought they might be in over their collective heads.  </p>
<p>Once they had one with all the specs that she wanted and some books that she had asked for about basic computer science and easy programming languages, they set it up and Cassandra stood by to walk her through any questions she might have.</p>
<p>It turned out that she didn’t need to after the first week or so.</p>
<p>Enyo took to the computer like she had built the first one and wrote all of it’s code and every code since.</p>
<p>Cassandra finally coaxed her off of the computer when she realized that she was getting into things online that she should not have been able to get anywhere close to.  Cassandra might be intuitive in general, but natural aptitude that he kiddo was showing for programmable technology was something else.</p>
<p>Well, shit.</p>
<p>Cassandra conferred with Silverleaf for what she thought was needed.  Neither of them was hardly qualified to teach the kid about morals.  Cassandra’s were dubious, at best; raised to follow orders and do what needed to be done to complete a mission.  Silverleaf was a goblin; she cared for her family first, clan second and her hoard last.  Her morals were about the same as Cassandra’s.</p>
<p>The only one of them that had anything approaching humanitarian morals was Maribell.  </p>
<p>And she was too busy for how in depth these particular lessons were going to be.</p>
<p>Enyo was not allowed back onto a computer until she at least learned the ethics involved in using a computer.  Those lessons would have to be about legalities, they supposed.  Which meant that Enyo was about to get a crash course in law and order so they didn’t all end up fined out of Cassandra’s fortune or in jail.</p>
<p>After that had been decided, Cassandra asked Silverleaf what else was on her mind.</p>
<p>“Enyo’s affinity for technology is akin to Air magic, I believe,” she explained, “but I can’t see where she got it from.”</p>
<p>Cassandra just blinked at her and then shrugged, “I have no idea.”</p>
<p>“Did you ever have a lineage test of your own?” Silverleaf asked, “I know you remember that your parents were magical, but not much else.”</p>
<p>“Well, shit.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Cassandras lineage test showed that she was a direct descendant of the Trelawney family.</p>
<p>The world famous seers.</p>
<p>Which explained a lot about both Enyo <i>and</i> Cassandra, really.  </p>
<p>Because that magic was absolutely Air magic.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>The year that Enyo turned eight, there were three things of note that happened.</p>
<p>The first was that Maribell graduated from medical school and she easily landed a residency.  There was much celebration all around before she happily started her residency at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Family Medicine.</p>
<p>The third thing was that Enyo started high school curriculum.  She was thriving in her educational environment and the school was thrilled to have her.  They were already making noises about working with MIT for her to start on their college courses within the next two years.</p>
<p>The third was that they received two missives about the same subject.  The missive from the Gringotts Branch London informed them that Lucius Malfoy had fathered a second child and had been given the letter that Cassandra had left for him along with Enyo’s maternal/paternal test.  The missive from Lucius Malfoy was a terse request to negotiate a meeting between Cassandra Jones, her laywer, himself and his lawyer as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Well, that was alright, then.  </p>
<p>Since it was the end of summer, all of them could take a couple of weeks to go to London.  Since the war was still hot and heavy in the UK, they would stay in Muggle London and have their meetings there.</p>
<p>Cassandra couldn’t wait to have the initial meeting over with.  She might not remember all the details, but this wasn’t likely to be a pleasant second meeting.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kudos/Comments welcome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lucius' Conundrum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Lucius dares to deal with the past.<br/>Just a little bit.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we are, again.  This is me, trying to move the story along.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucius Malfoy sighed where he was sitting at the desk in the Malfoy Manor and put down the latest missive from his lawyer that told him when and where his meeting with Cassandra Jones would be.</p>
<p>He picked up the slim dossier that his people had managed to put together on the woman.  There wasn’t a lot in it; her New York address, the business that she owned, her net worth, a couple of notes about her housemate and two pictures.</p>
<p>One picture was of Cassandra by herself.  Some kind of publicity photo, a candid shot included in an article about her business, Cloverleaf Manufacturing.  She was a <i>very</i> attractive woman, which he would never admit to his wife, with a slim build, a heart shaped face with blue eyes and loosely curling hair the color of wheat.</p>
<p>It was the second photo that he kept coming back to.  He couldn’t help but avidly take in the details of the photograph each time he saw it.  His <i>daughter</i>.  A child he had never known that he’d fathered.  He couldn’t wait to meet her.</p>
<p>Oh, he’d been angry when he found out, once the shock of it had worn off.  He was angry with the woman that had birthed his child and ran.  The child was his, after all, a Malfoy.   His anger also wasn’t helped by the realization that everything he had planned for <i>his son</i> was now impossible.</p>
<p>He sighed and picked up the second picture once again.  The photo showed the woman, Cassandra, and a child of about six years old walking down a wide sidewalk together.  She was looking down with a smile on her face at the young girl holding her hand.  The child was smiling brightly up at her mother and her free hand was thrown out in such a way that he thought she probably talked using her hands.  The girl was beautiful.  He couldn’t see her eye color in the picture, but she was lean, headed toward willowy, taller than average with a spill of white blond, spiral curls hanging around her shoulders.  Her face was heart-shaped but more angular than her mother’s.</p>
<p>The child was definitely a Malfoy.  He couldn’t argue that she looked like a throwback to the days when Veela blood was prominent in their lines.  He was gladdened to see how happy she looked, even if the photo had been taken more than two years ago.</p>
<p>He looked up when there was a soft knock on the frame of the open door and he smiled tiredly at his wife, Gloria, walked through and smiled back at him.</p>
<p>“Is the meeting set, then?” she asked, nodding toward the missive on his desk.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said as he shifted forward in his chair, “we will be meeting in a conference room in the hotel she is staying the day after tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Would you like me to go with you?” she asked, moving to sit in one of the chairs across from him.</p>
<p>“I would, yes,” he relied, “but this first meeting is about formalities.  So, it is best if it is just me.”</p>
<p>Gloria nodded her understanding, “Alright.”</p>
<p>They both sat for a few minutes before Lucius stood and said, “Come, love, let’s go see what Draco is up to.”</p>
<p>She laughed and agreed, “Sleeping, I am sure, he is not yet old enough for much else.</p>
<p>Arm in arm, they made their way to the nursery.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>The day of the meeting arrived and Cassandra was waiting, with her lawyer, for Malfoy and his own lawyer to show up.  Daecon Kinley had been her legal counsel for a few years and was quite loyal and quite gifted in how he handled Cassandra’s affairs.</p>
<p>They stopped their casual conversation and stood when there was a sharp knock on the doors.  Cassandra managed to keep her face from reflecting her surprise at how obvious it was that her daughter was fathered by Lucius Malfoy.  It would be impossible to hide.  </p>
<p>She understood a little bit better, in that moment, just what it meant to have a powerful magical lineage.</p>
<p>Introductions were had all around while the hotel staff that had escort the two men to the room inquired after refreshments, they all sat in a stony silence.  It was, as usual, Cassandra who was willing to bite the bullet and forge ahead.</p>
<p>“Before we begin,” Cassandra said, “could one of you gentlemen set up a privacy ward on the room?”</p>
<p>Malfoy’s lawyer, Thomas Kane, asked, “Are you unable to do so?”</p>
<p>Cassandra could see Malfoy was almost physically pained at his lawyer’s words.  It was obvious that he, at least, hadn’t been planning to be hostile.  She almost laughed at the situation.</p>
<p>Like she would ever be ashamed of what she was or was not.  She could still kill either of them before they could get a spell off.</p>
<p>“No,” she made sure to enunciate as if she were talking to an idiot, “I thought you would know that I am a squib.  I was trying to be polite, because I didn’t want you to take offense to Mr. Kinley casting a spell unannounced.”</p>
<p>Malfoy shot an exasperated look at his lawyer before he said, “Of course Mr. Kinley is welcome to set a privacy ward.  I appreciate you asking.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Lucius could not believe his idiot lawyer.  He glared at the man while Ms. Jones’ lawyer cast the necessary spell.  This was about his <i>child</i>.  This was not the place to show any sort of prejudice.  Lucius was under no illusions that, if she so wanted, Ms. Jones could deny him any rights regarding the girl, should she so desire.</p>
<p>And then, the man did it, again.</p>
<p>“Ms. Jones, what is your purpose in acknowledging Lord Malfoy as the father of your child at this juncture?”</p>
<p>Lucius could feel his face turn to stone at the presumptive rudeness in the question.  He watched as Ms. Jones quickly flicked her index finger at her lawyer and sat back to let him handle the question.  Lucius blinked when she caught his eye and gave him a tiny eye roll and a small quirk of the lip.</p>
<p>He felt his face heat and struggled to keep his composure when he realized that she had read the situation correctly.  That his lawyer was an ass and was in no way asking questions in a manner that Lucius approved of.  He could also see that they had expected such behavior from at least one of them, if not both.</p>
<p>“Mr. Caine, my client has always acknowledged that Lord Malfoy is the father of her child.  It is, in fact, on both her magical and muggle birth certificates,” Mr. Kinely stated.</p>
<p>Lucius sat up and took notice of that.  If that were the case, then she <i>hadn’t</i> hidden it and he could have found out from a simple inquiry at any time.  The problem was that it had never occurred to <i>anyone</i> that she had survived their encounter.  </p>
<p>His lawyer seemed to realize the same thing and tried to recover, “Why was my client not notified?”</p>
<p>“The answer to that question will require a standard, magically binding NDA from the both of you,” Mr. Kinley said with a smile full of teeth as he pulled two forms out of his briefcase and slid them across the table.</p>
<p>Lucius had started to reach for the page pushed toward him when his lawyer decided to show that he had lost his damn mind and he needed to get a new one sometime <i>yesterday</i>.</p>
<p>“Can she even be held to a magical NDA?” he asked with a sneer.</p>
<p>Lucius had had enough and he felt what was left of his composure completely crumble.  This was bordering on <i>humiliating</i>.</p>
<p>“Get out,” he hissed at the man.  </p>
<p>“What?” Mr. Caine asked, incredulous. </p>
<p>Lucius stood and pointed at the door, “Get. Out,” he said, mask falling and anger blazing on his face, “NOW.”</p>
<p>His lawyer just stared at him, open mouthed until his magic started to spark angrily at the end of his pointed finger.  He promptly fled the room.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Cassandra and Daecon both sat back and exchanged a slightly amused glance as Malfoy’s lawyer hustled out of the room and he slowly sat back down and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before he took a deep breath, looked up and addressed them.</p>
<p>“I am deeply sorry about that,” he said with obvious sincerity, “I had no <i>idea</i> he would behave in such a manner.”</p>
<p>Cassandra nodded with a soft smile, “Apology accepted, Lord Malfoy.”</p>
<p>Daecon nodded, “Yes, I also accept your apology.  Now, though, I either need you to write a statement that you are willing to proceed, today, without counsel, or we will reschedule for a time when you will have it.”</p>
<p>Malfoy studied the both of the for a full minute before he asked for a blank parchment and quill.  Once he had them, he wrote out  a quick statement, showing his willingness to meet without legal counsel and signed it with a flourish.  After, he pulled the NDA toward him and started to read it.</p>
<p>“This is rather strict,” he commented once he was done.</p>
<p>“Well,” Daecon said, “it is rather sensitive information that puts everyone who knows it in jeopardy.”</p>
<p>“What about my wife?” Malfoy asked, “would I be able to tell her?”</p>
<p>Cassandra answered that question, herself, “I have no issues with that, but she will also need to sign the same NDA.  You would be able to discuss it with each other, but no one else that is not on an approved list.”</p>
<p>Malfoy nodded and hesitated for another few moments before he signed the form and passed it back to Daecon.</p>
<p>Daecon passed the form to Cassandra and she signed it before passing it back to be signed by the lawyer.  There was a flash of magic and a copy appeared before the three of them.</p>
<p>“Show him,” Cassandra told Daecon.  “It is the fastest way.”</p>
<p>Malfoy looked concerned as Daecon pulled another two forms from his case and slid them across the table.</p>
<p>The pages were stamped and verified by Gringotts Branch London.  One was the full magical maternal/paternal test for one Enyo Cloverleaf Jones Malfoy Riddle.  </p>
<p>The other was an inheritance test for the same person.</p>
<p>Malfoy went pale and they worried, for just a moment, that he might pass out.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Lucius knew that he was falling into shock.  He needed to get a hold of himself, quickly.</p>
<p>“I don’t suppose either of you have a calming draught?” he asked as mildly as he could.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, no.” Mr. Kinley told him, “nor are we qualified to administer one to you, if we did.”</p>
<p>At the same time, Ms. Jones was sliding a vile across the table to him.  He blinked at her in surprise and flicked his gaze to her lawyer before he snatched it up, popped the top off and downed it.</p>
<p>He felt the affects of it, immediately.  It had been a very well crafted potion.  </p>
<p>He sat up after he was sure that he was able and ordered the questions in his mind that he wanted answers to.</p>
<p>“I have questions,” he said, clearly. “One, who is Tom Riddle.  Two, how is she both the Malfoy heir and the Slytherin Heir?  And three, may I meet her?”</p>
<p>Ms. Jones and Mr. Kinley both smiled at him.</p>
<p>“We will make this as clear as we can,” Ms. Jones said, “but it might take a bit to get your head around.  It certainly took us a while.”</p>
<p>Lucius nodded and settled in to hear the answers to his questions.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Lucius was astonished, “You meant to tell me that Voldemort is <i>not a pureblood</i>?</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“No, I don’t think she will want to inherit the Malfoy title.  She is a creator and I’ll have a hard enough time getting her to manage MY holdings, I am sure.  But, she is too young to really ask,” Cassandra assured, “I’d raise your son to be able, but don’t hide from him that he might not inherit.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“I assure you,” Daecon said, voice as bland as could be, “I plan to do everything in my power to convince that girl to claim the Slytherin title, even if it is just to remove that monster from the family magic.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Cassandra grinned, “Yes, you can meet her.  She was hoping that you would want to.  She has always known that you existed, but that it wasn’t <i>safe</i> for you to know her before now.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>When Lucius finally arrived back home that evening, his wife was waiting for him.  She took one look at his face and hugged him, tightly. </p>
<p>“So, we get to be a part of her life, then?” she asked, what to her, was the most important question.</p>
<p>Lucius leaned back from her embrace and looked her in the eye before he spoke.</p>
<p>“You will have to sign a magically binding NDA before I can discuss anything that was talked about, today.  Except the part where I fired Caine.”</p>
<p>She just looked back at him, just as intently, and asked, “Is it worth it?”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Enyo was vibrating with excitement when Cassandra walked back into the hotel room they were staying in.  She was bouncing from one foot to the other while Maribell looked on fondly from an armchair and Silverleaf sat on the coffee table watching television.</p>
<p>Cassandra grinned as she caught her daughter and hoisted her up to her hip as she flung herself at her mother and bombarded her with questions about her father.  The last one being a slightly insecure sounding:</p>
<p>“Does he want to meet me?”</p>
<p>Cassandra smiled at her daughter.  The kid was a dynamo in pretty much every other circumstance.  But this she was insecure about.  Enyo knew the circumstances of her birth, why they had left England and the reason she had never met her father.  </p>
<p>She was not yet old enough to really <i>understand</i> those circumstances.  </p>
<p>There was still a part of Enyo that thought, maybe, her father hadn’t wanted her.</p>
<p>Cassandra was nothing but thankful that wasn’t the truth.  She’d had a feeling that, when the time came, he would want to be in her life, even if it was only peripherally.  She felt, now, that Lucius Malfoy and his family would play a bit bigger part than they had thought, but that was alright.  She had always wanted a big family.</p>
<p>“Yes, baby,” she said firmly, “he wants to meet you.  We just have to get the details ironed out, first.”</p>
<p>The pouting scowl that appeared on her face was adorable, “Like what?” she demanded.</p>
<p>“Like the NDA for his wife and I want them to come to America to see us.  It is too dangerous for you to stay here, right now.”</p>
<p>Cassandra walked over to sit on the suite’s couch and plopped Enyo in her lap, waiting for what she was sure was next.</p>
<p>“Why is it dangerous?”</p>
<p>“You know why it is dangerous, baby,” Cassandra said, hiding her smile.  Genius or not, her kid could be predictable.</p>
<p>“Because it’s like Star Wars,” Enyo said decisively.</p>
<p>Cassandra blinked.  Maybe not so predictable.  </p>
<p>“That depends on why you think it is like Star Wars,” she said, curious.  “Why don’t you explain it to me.”</p>
<p>She noticed Maribell and Silverleaf shifting their attention full to her and Enyo, wanting to hear this, too.  Enyo was creative, this could be good.</p>
<p>“Well, Tom is like Darth Vader.  Really powerful and hard to fight.  The people trying to fight him have to hide it, right?”</p>
<p>“That’s a good start,” Cassandra agreed.</p>
<p>“And he’s, like, my father, but not my dad.  And if he knew about me, he try to get me to join or die, right?”</p>
<p>“Also a good comparison.  So, who are Lucius and his wife?”</p>
<p>“Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru!  Because if  knew about me, he’d kill my family to get to me,” Enyo started to look sad and Cassandra moved them on to something she hoped would be lighter.</p>
<p>“And who am I, Enyo?”</p>
<p>“Han Solo.”</p>
<p>“How do you get that?” Cassandra asked, surprised.</p>
<p>Enyo looked up at her with a surprisingly shrewd look, “Because you don’t care about the fight, you care about the people <i>in</i> the fight.  And, you are are much more valuable to an entity entirely removed from this fight.”</p>
<p><i>Well, hell</i>, Cassandra thought and asked, “Ok,so who is Maribell?”</p>
<p>“Chewbacca!”</p>
<p>Cassandras laughed as Maribell made an affronted sound and huffed, “You’d better explain that, young lady.”</p>
<p>“Well, Chewy is totally loyal to Han and sticks with him and <i>tries</i> to keep him out of trouble.  He never gave up on Han, either, when he was sold to Jabba the Hutt.”</p>
<p>They could all tell that Maribell was pleased, for all that she grumbled about walking carpets as she subside back to the couch.</p>
<p>Silverleaf asked, “Dare I ask who I am in this exercise?”</p>
<p>Cassandra felt Enyo’s body tense and wondered where she thought she was going with this.</p>
<p>“R2D2!” Enyo shouted and shot off of Cassandra’s lap before Silverleaf growled playfully and shot off after her as she ran toward one of the suite’s bedrooms.</p>
<p>Cassandra and Maribell both laughed at the picture in front of them.  Silverleaf had tackled the girl and had her pinned down, tickling her.</p>
<p>“If I am anyone in that ridiculous analogy, I’m YODA,” she was half shouting over the peals of laughter from her charge.</p>
<p>Cassandra smiled and <i>knew</i> that her daughter wouldn’t be the one facing Voldemort in the end; it would be another child.  That didn’t mean they wouldn’t be able to help, though.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>After two weeks in muggle London, living it up like the wealthy tourists that they were, they finally went home.  </p>
<p>Enyo, while excited about the pending Malfoy visit, was preoccupied with the projects that she was coming back to.  She was working on an enchanted polearm as a gift for the arms master at the Gringotts Branch NYC and had started writing the code for her own computer operating system.  She was back to carefully following her very strict schedule in order to have time allotted to everything she <i>wanted</i> to spend time on.</p>
<p>Cassandra had meetings with her lawyers and accounts manager that she didn’t want to go to about her company.  She had hire droves of people to manage the place for her, but she still had to make the final decisions about entirely too many things.  Now, they wanted to get into smaller, personal technological items.  Like cellphones.  She might have to involve Enyo; she knew far more about those things than Cassandra did.  Maybe after she finished High School.  </p>
<p>Maribell had enjoyed their vacation immensely.  She had felt like she missed so much while she was in school.  But, they were still a family and she had been reminded that she was an integral part of it.  She knew she would have at least a little bit more free time during her residency, and she was looking forward to it.</p>
<p>Silverleaf returned home with her charge and was content with the decision.  Enyo didn’t need a nanny, or even a guard, really, any more.  She was pleased to know that the child could take care of herself, just fine.  She would begin her formal magical education in three years and she would exceed expectations. Her aprenticeship with the master smiths of the goblin NYC clan would be finished by the end of the year.  She would be moving on to other interests, soon, but Silverleaf would stay.  Because these people had become a part of her family.  And Goblins believed in family first, clan second and horde third.</p>
<p>Maybe it was time to teach her warding.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Taking a Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sometimes, things come up when you are just trying to <i>relax</i></p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I totally scrapped two, almost completely written, chapters.  They weren't where I wanted this story to go, so you get this, instead.  Happy Reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Enyo was between nine and ten, she finished programming her first operating system.  </p><p>It didn’t work.</p><p>Well, it <i>did</i> work, but only with itself.  It didn’t work with programs that existed, already.  So, she put a portion of the code in a programming forum on-line, in kind of a “I found this” kind of way and sat back to see what kind of response she would get.  </p><p>She was less than impressed when it was declared “fake.”  Of course it wasn’t fake.  She huffed as she thought about how to deal with this development.  The OS worked.  It worked efficiently and intuitively.  She knew that.  So, why didn’t it work with other programs?</p><p>She finally went and asked her mom.</p><p>She smiled when she found her, on her own computer, poking around in a secure government email server.  </p><p>“What are you doing, mom?” she asked.</p><p>Cassandra hummed in consideration as she held an arm out for Enyo to be hugged in.  Enyo looked over the screen as her mom cuddled her into her side.  </p><p>“I’m just tracking some chatter about Stark Industries,” she said.  “It is starting to look like Stane is trying to get more money, or the USA won’t be his only client, anymore.”</p><p>Enyo frowned, “I thought that Stark Industries was all about keeping Americans safe by making them the most well armed?”</p><p>“That’s been the company line since Howard Stark got in bed with the US Government during World War II, yes,” she said, “but Howard Stark is dead and Obediah Stane hold SI in trust until Stark the younger is of age and willing to take the company.”</p><p>“And Stark the younger behaves as though he only wants to build things?” Enyo asked, to clarify the supposed situation.</p><p>“Seems that way,” Cassandra said.  “But someone is pulling on his strings, too.  His lifestyle is too out of control.  He wasn’t even this bad in college, but I suppose grief is different for everyone.”</p><p>“Hrm,” Enyo agreed.  “Hopefully, it doesn’t become a habit.  Why are you looking into SI, anyway?”</p><p>“Just a feeling, love,” Cassandra replied absently before she turned her attention fully to Enyo.  “But, more importantly, what can I help you with, today?”</p><p>Enyo smiled at the easy affection that had always been there between them and crawled up into her lap.  She was a little big for it, but it was still a comfortable place to be.</p><p>“I finished my operating system,” she said her brow furrowed with her frustration, “but it doesn’t work with anything.  And when I put some of the code in a forum for suggestions, some of them called it fake and said it wasn’t a real programming language.”</p><p>“Well, what programming language did you use?” Cassandra asked her.</p><p>The question made Enyo pause, “Uhm…”</p><p>She looked up to see her mother grinning at her, “You made up a programming language, didn’t you?”</p><p>Enyo’s nod was a bit hesitant, “Yeah, I think maybe I did.”</p><p>“Ok,” Cassandra said, still smiling, “Well, you can do a couple things, I think.  One, you need to make a translator, or whatever you want to call it, so that your language can talk in other languages, yeah?  And then, just to prove to all those bastards that you are legit, write all your own programs in your language.</p><p>“Also,” Cassandra continued with a poke to her side, “remember that Apple and IBM didn’t used to work together, either.  If those fossils can do it, so can you.”</p><p>Enyo and Cassandra sat for a few minutes in silence while Enyo thought about what her mother said.  She eventually slid out of her mother’s lap and spun around to look at her with a grin.</p><p>“I know exactly what I am going to do!” she exclaimed with a bounce.</p><p>“What’s that?</p><p>“I am going to write a whole computing system and set of programs for magicals, then write the the necessary code for that system to talk to other languages, like you said.  There is tons of stuff I can think of just for magicals!”</p><p>Cassandra grinned agreement and said, “Just remember to work it into your schedule.  You can’t let everything else slide for a new project, love.”</p><p>“Ok, mom,” she agreed, “I’ll make sure to revamp the schedule, first.”</p><p>With that, she almost ran out of the room to get started.  This was going to be a great project!</p><p>Her mother called after her, “Be sure to sleep, tonight, your Father will be here in the morning!”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am!”</p><p>~~</p><p>Lucius, holding his year and a half old son, and his wife appeared in the foyer of the fourth floor (which had been remodeled for them) with their permanent, international port-key in hand.  </p><p>The rest of the family was there, waiting for them.  </p><p>Draco wiggled to get down and toddled off to his big sister as soon as his feet touched the ground with a happy smile and a shout of “En-o!”  Enyo scooped him up, easily, and spun him around, blowing a raspberry into his belly while he giggled helplessly.</p><p>As the adults all greeted each other, it was decided to head down to the main kitchen for coffee, tea and whatever food was needed.  Once they were all settled in around the table in the kitchen and they could see Enyo and Draco out in the garden, where she was showing him all the different plants.</p><p>“So,” Maribell said, carefully, “you looked utterly exhausted.  What’s going on?”</p><p>Gloria gave a beaming smile and leaned in to Lucius while he slung an arm around her shoulder.</p><p>“We,” Lucius said with his own rather bright smile, “are celebrating.  It is finally over.”</p><p>“Is it?” Cassandra asked with a raised brow at the same time Silverleaf straightened in her chair and chortled, “Details, we must have the details!”</p><p>The family in New York had been kept up to date about the terror campaign that Voldemort had been running on the Wizarding UK and how it had been systematically crossing over into small muggle villages.  It was the main reason the fourth floor had been given over to the Malfoys completely, rather than just set up for guests.  They came across the pond to visit quite often, but Cassandra had felt a need to make sure that they had a safe, familiar and comfortable place to flee to, if it had come to that.</p><p>She also hoped that they would come stay often, in the future.</p><p>(Cassandra didn’t know that the Malfoys had been redesigning a wing in their manor for the New York family, as well.  The wish for many visits and further bonding as family went both ways.)</p><p>Lucius tiredly launched into the story of the last months of the “war.”  He gave them details about the attacks that hadn’t become public knowledge.  Told them stories they had uncovered about Voldemort’s declining mental stability.  How he had eventually fixated upon two families: the Potters and the Longbottoms.  No one really knew why, though, other than three of the four had been Aurors and all of them had been members of the not-so-secret Order of the Phoenix; an “Organization” that was formed under the leadership of Albus Dumbledor to fight Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters.</p><p>Voldemort had met his end about a week and half prior to their visit to New York.  Apparently, the fidelis charm on the Potter’s home had broken and Voldemort had attacked shortly after.  He had killed both Lily and James Potter and somehow met the end at his own hand when he tried to kill their child, Harry.  The backlash of the spell had caused the roof to collapse and the people of Godric’s Hollow had heard it, called the Aurors and then flocked to the sight, only to see Sirius Black emerge from the wreckage and hand off an alive baby Harry to another man before he fucked off to (they later found out) kill Peter Pettigrew, a longtime friend of the Potters.</p><p>In the meantime, word spread out of Godric’s Hollow, rapidly.  Before the sun had risen, witches and wizards across the country were celebrating the fall of Voldemort and had already dubbed the Potter child “The Boy Who Lived.”  The Ministry had been beside itself trying to contain the breaches in the Statute of Secrecy.</p><p>The last week and a half had been spent in the halls of the Wizengamot trying to keep the Ministry from having people incarcerated without trials.  There had been no official war, no martial law declared and so jailing people without trials was <i>not</i> a power that the Ministry for Magic actually had.</p><p>The justice system of the Magical UK wasn’t really any faster than the justice system in the UK in general.  The people who had been arrested since the declared demise of Voldemort were jailed, waiting for trial.  Lucius suspected that the branding of Voldemort's followers as “terrorists” would go a long way toward shortening the time before their trials began.  The magical population would begin pressing for justice before much longer.</p><p>As it was, he figured that he had about two weeks before he would be required back in the UK to sit the High Court.  He was not looking forward to it, but had decided to take advantage of having a break to see his daughter and extended family.</p><p>“Well, I am happy that is over,” Cassandra said with a smile.  “We should take Enyo for another inheritance test, see if this changes anything for her.”</p><p>Lucius nodded in agreement.  It would make a difference, Voldemort being dead, he thought, she might be able to take the Slytherin Lordship early and they could finally go through the single vault left of the estate.</p><p>“Do you know what happened to Harry Potter?” Maribell asked, quietly.</p><p>Lucius blinked and looked at his wife who looked equally confused beside him.</p><p>“No, I don’t,” Lucius replied, faintly.  “It should have been news, where he was placed.”</p><p>“Yes,” Cassandra agreed readily, “it should have been.”</p><p>There was a small <i>almost imperceptible</i> nudge in the back of her mind and they moved to different topics.  She didn’t forget about Harry Potter, but there was no sense of <i>knowing</i> that anything needed to be done, either.</p><p>Besides, the tale of Draco’s latest bouts of “accidental” magic were far more amusing to discuss.</p><p>~~</p><p>Two days later, Cassandra, Lucius and Enyo were at the Gringotts Branch New York talking to Cassandra’s account managers on this side of the Atlantic.  </p><p>Axebreaker had been recommended by Longfang, and knew the unique circumstances of Enyo’s parentage.  Cassandra had to smile at the goblin while Enyo put together the small ritual that was needed for a genealogy test.  Even though Enyo was a human magic user, her apprenticeships with the goblins required that she conform to their hierarchy, which meant menial tasks for masters of all disciplines.  </p><p>It was just the purification of the ritual dagger, testing the viability of the potion and making sure the correct enchanted parchment was used, but they were still things that most wizards didn’t even ask about, much less knew how to use.</p><p>Lucius looked on, confused as to why Enyo was in any way involved.  It could also be possible that it was due to the hushed conversation taking place in front of him between his daughter and her account manager.</p><p>In Gobbledegook.</p><p>His brow was furrowed when he turned to Cassandra and she cut him off at the pass.  </p><p>“Her nanny and guard was a goblin, if you recall.  Silverleaf taught her English, Gobbledegook and Latin,” she told him with a smile.</p><p>“She already speaks Latin?” he asked with no small amount of pride sneaking into his tone.</p><p>Cassandra nodded, “I also taught her Russian, Ukrainian and Farsi.  Or Persian, if you prefer its older name.”</p><p>Lucius frowned and said, “She is only nine.”</p><p>Cassandra chuckled as she observed Enyo’s interactions with Axebreaker.  They were well passed done with setting up the test and were now speaking about the subtle differences in the potions and parchments used in the different genealogy, lineage and inheritance tests made and used by the goblins.</p><p>“You haven’t spent much time with her when she is following her usual routine, yet,” she explained.  “Her desire for knowledge and its application is voracious.  We should probably discuss that more, when we return.”</p><p>Lucius looked unsure but nodded agreement.</p><p>“Enyo, love,” Cassandra called out when there seemed to be a break in the discussion, “we are here on personal business.”</p><p>Enyo looked up at her parents and blushed, “Sorry,” she said as she scurried around the desk and back to her seat.</p><p>Axebreaker chuckled, taking immense pleasure in such a bright and capable student, “Yes, let us proceed.”</p><p>The results were not what any of them wanted to see.  Not even a little bit.  Cassandra was pretty sure that Lucius was going to faint, she had no idea what the notation on the parchment next to Tom Marvolo Riddle meant (anything other than “deceased” being entirely unwelcome) and Enyo, who had not looked yet, had jumped up in alarm and gone to help the goblin that was now choking on air.  </p><p>~~</p><p>
  <i>Tom Marvolo Riddle-animae salvae</i>
</p><p>The bastard had a horcrux.</p><p>~~</p><p>The received a crash course on horcruxes.  </p><p>They were very much the most disgusting thing that Cassandra had ever heard of, and that was saying something, considering that she was raised by an organization that believed in grooming children in to spies, weapons and whores.  She did take a moment to appreciate that this <i>ritual</i> was what had driven him into insanity.  Beyond that, she didn’t have much to think about.  She was a Squib, no matter how talented; she wasn’t magical.  She could not, <i>would not</i>, involve herself or her <i>nine year old daughter</i> in this magical war.  They would have to figure it out for themselves.</p><p>Lucius was not terrified, but he was deeply worried.  So far, he’d been able to keep Enyo’s existence between the two families that she belonged to.  He figured that by the time Draco went to school, or was old enough for her to meet his friends, enough time would have passed that she could be welcomed into his family as a youthful indiscretion.  His wife had agreed.  If it came out that she was Voldemort’s daughter and that he might be back, someday, she would be in danger from just about <i>everyone</i> in the Wizarding UK.  Certainly, at the age she was now, many would try to use and manipulate her. </p><p>Axebreaker didn’t know what to do.  The information in front of him was confidential and could not be released without the consent of the child’s guardian.  And he knew Cassandra, and the look on her face, well enough to know that there was no way she would put her child in the life of fire.  Not that he wanted her to, nor would the goblin nation take kindly to having the child they had accepted into their clans in danger.  He began to plan contingencies.  Things they could do in the background with information as they found it.</p><p>Enyo had questions.  Her mother looked worried and her dad looked like he was going to pass out.  She didn’t want either of them to get hurt, but she knew that, as a minor, she had few options in situations such as this.</p><p>“Can I still claim the title?” she asked.</p><p>Axebreaker startled from his thoughts and looked between her and her mother.  </p><p>“Yes,” he said slowly, “you can.”</p><p>“So, I can still remove him from the family magic?” </p><p>Lucius and Axebreaker started to smile, it was the beginning of the beginning of a course of action that could prove very fruitful.  </p><p>“That way,” she continued, “if he ever did get a body back, he would be severely weakened, right?”</p><p>Cassandra beamed at her while Lucius and Axebreaker struggled not to laugh at the seemingly innocent look on her face.</p><p>“Good thinking, baby.”</p><p>~~</p><p>By the time they got home that evening, Enyo was now the official Heir Slytherin.  She wore the ring on a mithril chain around her neck, resting in the hollow of her throat.  It was under it’s own glamor and wouldn’t be seen unless she allowed it.  </p><p>The goblins had allowed Enyo to use a ritual room in the bank to perform the short rite necessary to beseech magic to remove an unworthy family member from the line.  Magic had unequivocally granted her request.  Normally, the magic would have been divided among the remaining members of the line, but as Enyo was the only one, the total of the stripped magic settled into her core.</p><p>Because she needed more magic.  Why not?</p><p>Enyo trooped up to the nursery to spend some time with her little brother before she went to her own rooms to study for her project on personal wards.  She found him soothing to be around and was resolved to be in a position in his life to protect him when Voldemort came back.</p><p>The adults all settle around the fire pit out in the gardens.  Lucius and Cassandra related what they had learned and what it meant.  They went on to talk about what Enyo had done and whether or not they needed to change their plans to include her in the Malfoy’s life in England.  (It was decided that it did not.) </p><p>They discussed what the goblins were going to do with the information that they had.  They wouldn’t put Enyo in danger if they could help it, so the information would be kept among the clans and they would help where they could.  </p><p>They resolved to put it aside, for the time being.  There was nothing they could do about it, given they had no idea where the horcux might be, or even how to go about finding it.</p><p>Instead, they relaxed, toured the city and learned more about Enyo's ridiculous intellect and schedule.  They got to know Cassandra better and toured the business that she owned and spent as much time NOT running as she could.  They loved Maribell, just as much as anyone else did and tried to poach Silverleaf to come watch over and teach Draco.  (They were not successful in the last thing, but she did tell them to talk to their account manager about it when they returned to London.)</p><p>By the time the Malfoys returned to England, both Lucius and Gloria were rested, refreshed and ready to return to the fray of life post Voldemort.  Everything that could be done to protect the family, would be done.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Solution is Rough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remember, totally not cannon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the Malfoys returned to England, Lucius did not forget about the mystery of Harry Potter.  </p><p>It was just about two months before he could actually think to do something about it.</p><p>He had looked into it as much as he could, but none of the wizarding families that he was connected to had taken him in and he found it disconcerting that none of them seemed to question what had happened to the scion of the Potter House.  </p><p>When he had made inquiries at the DMLE, he had received notice from Minister Bagnold to drop it.  Harry Potter was fine.  He had been placed with his last remaining family and that was that.</p><p>Lucius was still trying to figure it out when he went to have dinner with his wife and son.  As he looked at Gloria, his half-blood wife, it came to him.  If there was no magical family to take him, it must have been the muggle family that had him.</p><p>The only problem with that was that he had no idea where to start to find them.  Lily Potter nee Evans had a fairly common maiden name, so it wasn’t like he could just look them up in the “phone book.”  He needed a starting place.</p><p>He know who could help him, but the question was whether or not he would.  They were good friends, the man was even Draco’s godfather, but the bounds of every friendship could be pushed too far.</p><p>But Lucius couldn’t shake the need to make sure Harry Potter was well cared for.</p><p>Or at least safe.  It stood to good reasoning that if Voldemort regained a body, he’d be after the boy who “defeated” him before his heart could even start beating again.</p><p>~~</p><p>Severus Snape stepped out of the floo and into the foyer of the Marfoy manner, wondering what the man wanted.  </p><p>They had been friends, for years now, but he knew that Lucius had been busy trying to coral the British Wizarding Population post Voldemort’s demise.  He hadn’t actually expected to hear from the man for at least another month.</p><p>Thankfully, Severus had been away from most of Voldemort’s terror attacks.  The madman had been focused on the UK and Severus had been in Transylvania, studying for his Potions Mastery.  </p><p>Lucius had taken Severus under his wing when he was a first year Slytherin at Hogwarts.  It had been a controversial move for the other boy, who was in his fifth year, a prefect and the Heir Malfoy.  Lucius had been a model Slytherin and had helped to teach the <i>actual</i> values of the house to Severus.  </p><p>Severus was grateful for it.  Lucius’ care and teachings had kept him out of trouble with the Purebloods of Slytherin and knowledgeable enough to recognize manipulation and those out to <i>use</i> him for his academic successes.  Even when Lucius had had troubles of his own, between his fifth and sixth years, he had still had time and attention for Severus.  After Lucius had graduated, he had met Severus in Hogsmead on the weekends and had comfort and supported him after the disastrous end of his childhood friendship with Lily Evans.</p><p>Then, Lucius had gone and sponsored his apprenticeship to a renowned Potions Master so that he could get his feet under him before being on his own.</p><p>And now, Severus was the youngest Potions Master in Europe.</p><p>During his musings, a house elf had appeared, ready to escort him to Lucius’ office.  Severus had to do a double take at the creature; it looked more healthy than any house elf he’d ever seen.  It was stood upright, ears not drooping and it’s skin had a healthy glow.</p><p>Well, another question for Lucius, he supposed.</p><p>He followed the house elf and waited, politely, to be announced before he swept his way into the room with his robes billowing behind him.  He had learned the dramatic effect from the vampires he’d met in Romania.  It had appealed to his own innate sense of showmanship and he couldn’t help but smirk at the raised eyebrow on Lucius’ face.</p><p>“Lucius,” he said, smiling and making his way to his friend who had risen to greet him.</p><p>They clasped forearms in greeting before both broke into full grins and hugged each other.  Lucius laughed a little and gestured Severus to a chair while he went to the sideboard and poured them both a hefty drink.</p><p>“So,” Severus started, “I wasn’t expecting you to have time for me for at least another month.  What can I help you with?”</p><p>“Right to business, then,” Lucius said, as he sat down and handed off Severus’ drink.  </p><p>“Well, I could start with something else, I suppose,” Severus was definitely amused, “like what in the world is going on with your house elf?  I have never seen one that looks quite like that.”</p><p>Severus was taken aback by Lucius’ loud bark of laughter.  He had obviously said something not quite funny, per se, but Lucius certainly found something amusing about it.</p><p>“Well,” Lucius said, his amusement tapering off into pensiveness as he looked back at Severus, “the gives me an opening to talk to you about something else, entirely.  Which thing would you like to start with?”</p><p>Severus flicked his eyes over Lucius’ face, looking for an indication of what the other man was feeling.  He looked a mixture of elated and resigned; Severus had no idea what to make of it as he’d never quite seen that look on Lucius before.</p><p>“Well,” Severus said slowly, trying to feel out just how his day was going to go, “let’s start with the original reason you called me here.  You wouldn’t have done so if it were not important.  Something tells me that this other thing will completely derail your purpose.”</p><p>“Alright,” Lucius nodded agreement and levitated over the bottle of Ogden’s Old Firewhisky and topping off their barely sipped on glasses.</p><p>Severus was concerned about the show of nerves from the older man. </p><p>“For heaven’s sake, Lucius, spit it out,” he said, exasperated, “I don’t think I can handle this nervous posturing, any more.”</p><p>“It’s about the Potter’s,” Lucius blurted out.  </p><p>When all he received in return was a raised eyebrow, he sighed and continued, “More specifically, about Lily.”</p><p>Severus’ demeanor grew noticeably cooler, “What about her, Lucius?”</p><p>“Could you, perchance, point me in the direction of her family?”</p><p>There was an utterly terrifying storm brewing on the Potions Master’s face as his fulminating glare was focused entirely on Lucius and he snapped out one word:</p><p>“Explain.”</p><p>~~</p><p>The bottle of Firewhisky was gone.</p><p>Both Severus and Lucius were sitting on the floor in front of a roaring fire.  They were leaned against one another and Severus had calmed down a great deal.</p><p>He was still quite angry, though.  He wanted to not care that Lily’s hateful sister had a baby that they already knew was magical in her home.  But, he had loved Lily like a sister, even after the hateful thing he’d said that had ended their friendship.  No matter how foul James Potter was and how much he’d gloated about Lily falling in love with him, Severus would always have been in her life before him.  Sometimes, though, siblings had a falling out.  </p><p>That she had not wanted to hear him out when he’d begged her for forgiveness, well, that was on her.  He had tried.  Many times, but apparently Lily Evans had been able to hold grudges like almost no one else he’d met.</p><p>And now, she was dead.  Along with her husband, who he had never liked.  Still, he wouldn’t have wished the end that they had met on anyone.  He might have no desire to marry or have children, yet, but he could imagine how he would feel, knowing that he was about to be killed and that killer was going after Draco.</p><p>Indeed, undeserved by anyone.</p><p>“So,” Severus said carefully, “I’ll go tomorrow.”</p><p>He almost couldn’t stand the grateful look on Lucius’ face.</p><p>“And then,” Severus growled out, “you are going to tell me both how you found out about this horcrux <i>and</i> that other thing that you haven’t told me, yet.”</p><p>He stood abruptly, clearly an unexpected move, and sneered as Lucius tipped over onto the ground without his support.  </p><p>“Good night,” he declared, a little too loudly and did his best to sweep out of the room in the manner that he’d entered.</p><p>He was not terribly successful.  But that was alright, his audience was passed out on the hearth rug, anyway.</p><p>~~</p><p>It hadn’t taken Severus more than a couple hours to track down Lily’s sister, Petunia.  Now a Dursley, married with a child of her own, according to the public records office.  After a judicious spell or two, he’d gotten the clerk to tell him everything he’d needed and went directly to her address in Surrey.</p><p>Severus sensed the malevolent magical force around the house the moment he stepped onto Privet Drive.  </p><p>He sent a patronus message to Lucius that said, <i>Please send a message to the goblins that I will be making some charges to your account, today.  You sent me on this errand, you can pay for it.</i></p><p>He knew that Lucius would be waiting for him at the bank.  At least the goblin healers could be counted on for discretion.  </p><p>He would ask them to send an emergency team of ward masters and curse breakers to the house to deal with whatever was the cause of such hideous magic.</p><p>He shot off a spell at the house that let him know where all the residents were.  A small one upstairs, non-magical, and two adult, non-magicals on the ground floor of the house.  There was a forth, sickly looking life-force on the ground floor.  It looked sickly enough that Severus would admit (much later) that he panicked.</p><p> He was up the steps, thought the (locked) door, down a hall (to the sounds of alarm and anger) and blasting the lock off a cupboard door and gently lifting a small, battered, starved and half-dead toddler off the floor.  It looked like he had literally been thrown there.  He stood and cradled the toddler in his arms before he turned and made his way back down the hall. </p><p>He barely paid attention to the large man trying to get in his way.  He flicked his wand at the man, barely taking his eyes of the little one and the man stumbled backward through the doorway and into the parlor where he and his wife were watching television.  </p><p>“You!”</p><p>He stopped and looked up from the broken child in his arms at the word said with vitriol and fear.  </p><p><i>Ah, Petunia</i>, he thought before sense kick in.  <i>I don’t have time for this.</i></p><p>He walked toward her, his face stony and satisfied as she yelped and tripped over her own feet to get away from him.  He was just glad that he hadn’t had to move her.  He was back out onto the street and apparating away, but not before saw the two Dursley adults in the door ways.</p><p>“Good riddance,” was the last thing he heard from them before he appeared in the small, little known private entrance of Gringotts Branch London.</p><p>~~</p><p>Things moved fairly quickly after that.</p><p>Lucius was, indeed, there waiting for him.  He turned quickly when Severus appeared at the same time a goblin was sent in to escort them.  Severus was already asking for a healer first and then to meet with someone he could talk to about curse-breakers and ward masters.  </p><p>When the goblin escort’s sight landed on the still, barely breathing child in Severus Snape’s arms, it was decided that all questions could wait, healing first.</p><p>The goblins in charge of the ward masters and curse-breakers he had asked for had to meet him down in the healing hall.  Although he was not in the room, he refused to leave the area until he knew the child would be alright and Lucius was there, pacing while Severus talked to the goblins.</p><p>About the time he was explaining the magic he had sensed around the home, a goblin healer stormed out of the room that Harry was in, cursing up a storm.  He had a parchment in hand from a diagnostic spell and he started lambasting everyone in sight before he finally let out a rather intimidating growl.</p><p>“Get me Longfang,” he shouted at the goblins with Severus.  “NOW!”</p><p>One of them scuttled off and the other turned back to Severus to get the co-ordinates of the house they were headed to look at.  Might as well get started.<br/>
Lucius, on the other hand, went pale.  He was far from stupid or uninformed.  He knew that Longfang was the manager of Cassandra and Enyo’s accounts in the UK.  He also knew that Longfang would be Axebreaker’s contact for the information that they had found out in New York.  He abruptly sat down and tried not to think about why Longfang would be needed for a hurt toddler.</p><p>Severus’ head snapped to Lucius where he had collapsed in a chair, his face chalky and staring off into space.</p><p>“Lucius,” he said as he walked over and shook his shoulder, “Lucius, what is it?”</p><p>Lucius blinked up at him a couple time before speaking, “It has to do with how I found out about the horcrux.  And that other thing that I need to tell you about.”</p><p>“Give me the short version,” Severus stated and sat down next to Lucius.</p><p><i>Right</i>, Lucius thought, <i>I can give a short version.</i></p><p>“After Voldemort died, I took my family to see my daughter and her mother.  We went and got a new inheritance test for her, because magic made her eligible for the Slytherin title.  We thought that since he was dead, she could take it early.  Except that he isn’t dead, he is an <i>animae salvae</i>, which is what alert the goblins to the horcrux.  I assume, since Longfang is their account manager at this branch, and he would have that information, that whatever is going on here has something to do with that mess.”</p><p>Lucius became more concerned the longer that Severus went without blinking.</p><p>“Severus?” He asked and immediately wished he hadn’t.</p><p><i>”Just how much have you been not telling me, Lucius?”</i> was hissed out at him between clenched teeth.</p><p>Lucius heaved a sigh before he replied, “A lot, I will admit.  And all of it things that I wanted to talk to you about in person.  I’m sorry.”</p><p>Severus relented at how completely exhausted and worried Lucius looks.</p><p>“Alright, I can give you that until you have told me.  Which you will do, as soon as this is taken care of.  Without the buffer of alcohol, though.  You don’t deserve it.”</p><p>“Thank you, Severus,” Lucius said, relieved.</p><p>Severus just sniffed disdainfully before standing up and staring some pacing of his own.</p><p>~~</p><p>The two men were eventually reassured that Harry was healed and recovering before they were ushered out of the healing hall and back up to the bank proper and into Longfang’s office.  </p><p>Longfang didn’t leave them sitting in silence for long.  He had been busy while the men were down in the healing halls, unnecessarily, watching over the young one.  He understood their concern, though, and wouldn’t hold it against them.  And, if it gave him time to take care of some things without being questioned too much along the way, well, that was perfectly alright with him.</p><p>Sometimes, wizards just got in the way of a goblin’s efficiency.</p><p>As neither of these men were the child’s guardian, they didn’t need to got through either of them to do anything about this situation.</p><p>They had healed the child, removed the strange spell on him that had kept him alive through such abuse and found and removed a <i>horcrux</i>.  The team they had sent to the child’s residence had found and removed two wards from the property as well as mind altering spells from the two adult humans that lived there. </p><p>They also took the initiative to lay a ward that would keep that from happening, again.  The neutralizing ward would lay underneath anything else that was erected on the property and keep it from affecting the residents within the ward.  It also had the benefit of neutralizing any lingering spells cast on a person when they crossed the boundaries of the property.</p><p>The Dursleys, by all accounts, were stern, but good people.  When not affected by outside magical influence, anyway.  </p><p>Longfang knew that it would be a fight with these two wizards to allow the boy back on the property, but it was all they could do.  The Dursleys were his guardians and kidnapping the “savior of the wizarding world” would be problematic in the future.  Also, <i>someone</i> had put the child there and they might come looking.<br/>
Considering the Ministry of Magic’s hands-off approach to the location of Harry Potter, that person was quite powerful in their world.</p><p>However, he could offer <i>something</i> to these wizards.  Something that would keep them involved and at least with the knowledge of how the child was doing throughout his life.  And he was sure they would see the sense in the plan.</p><p>Eventually.</p><p>~~</p><p>It was an argument, more than a fight.</p><p>Lucius was getting what he wanted, which was the boy safe.</p><p>Severus, for all that he was appalled at the child’s treatment, was a logical man who had no <i>actual</i> attachment to the child.  However, with his own background, he was determined that the child of his sister/friend not grow up in the same circumstances.</p><p>Which was where Longfang’s plan came in.  </p><p>Severus would be the equivalent of a social worker, assigned to Harry Potter.  Given the state that he’d found the boy in and the state of his guardians, it would be an easy sell.  </p><p>The Dursleys were quite horrified at their behavior, already.  They would both take the boy in, treat him well and <i>welcome</i> the wizard into their home to make sure no one took advantage of their lack of magic, ever again.</p><p>Less than 24 hours after Severus had first appeared on Privet Drive, he was back.</p><p>He wouldn’t let these two fool him, he determined.  He would not be leaving Harry there without thoroughly vetting them, including delving into their minds.  He was also going to be talking to Lucius about some kind of children’s welfare department in the Ministry.  Things like this shouldn’t be happening.  That the muggles cared more for child welfare than wizards was disconcerting, to say the least.</p><p>For more than two months, Harry Potter had been under the care of these muggles who were under undue magical influence.  Immediately after the goblins had taken down the foreign wards, their minds had stated to clear.  Once they had been stripped of the direct spells they were under, they were horrified.  They might have been influence, but they <i>remembered</i> the things they had done.  </p><p>Between Severus’ intractability and the goblin’s ironclad contracts, the Dursleys were neatly, even happily, bound to raise Harry Potter as if he were their own.  </p><p>Even if they <i>wanted</i> to, they would be unable to mistreat the boy.  The contracts allowed for biweekly wellness checks, performed by Severus, that would expand into tutoring sessions when he reached the age for four, as well as quarterly property and magical malfeasance checks by the goblins.</p><p>Severus questioned Petunia’s cooperation, specifically, given that he’d known her when they were children.  She understood his hesitance and quietly explained to him that her parents had seen her aberrant behavior in their early teens and she had been sent to counseling.  Sometimes her parents had been included when it was determined that much of her behavior stemmed from them favoring one child over the other.  They had worked through it, and Petunia told him that Lily had never accepted her apologies, either.</p><p>She took the time, now, to give Severus a genuine apology.  </p><p>She told him with genuine sincerity that she was looking forward to raising a magical child.  She would teach her own son, Dudley, the open-mindedness that had been crushed instead of nurtured in her.  </p><p>For now, his passive legilimency let him take her at her word.  </p><p>Harry Potter would be back in their home within the week.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Comments or kudos are welcome.  Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Diary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Though I should address the diary in the Malfoy Manor.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I don't have much of a posting schedule.  Mostly, I write, then I post.<br/>This weekend, I am not gonna lie, I got totally distracted by docu-series on Netflix.<br/>I also started back at work full time amidst the weird half-a-shutdown that we have going on.<br/>Anyway, I'll try not to take too long between updates.<br/>Happy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Enyo looked at the small nook that she had found under one of the benches in the gazebo in the rose garden.</p>
<p>For the past six years she had been working on any number of things and was finally getting around to finishing both her her ward mastery and curse-breaking mastery.  Her dad had generously allowed her to redo all the wards on and around the Malfoy Manor and property, as well as deal with any cursed items that she found in the house or on the grounds.</p>
<p>Draco was about to turn 7 and was a curious as any child growing up in a magical home could be.  Like any ancestral magical home, there were all kinds of things throughout the manor that could harm anyone, and children especially.  The last thing she wanted was for her little brother to be hurt, so she was happy to take on the task.</p>
<p>When she was done, her masters would come in, check her work and after she wrote up a report about the manor, hopefully they would award her her masteries.</p>
<p>This nook had hidden from her for <i>days</i> now.    It had been set up under a subtle set of wards and curses that spiraled outward, almost to the edges of the property.  Some of them were obviously created by their user, which was interesting enough to keep her entertained through the tedious dismantling she’d had to do.  </p>
<p>All for this small, little nook under a bench.  The opening of the nook had been <i>covered</i> in nasty curses. Thankfully, she had managed to counter those that she could and harmlessly set off those that she couldn’t counter.  Really nasty stuff.  </p>
<p>There was a small black book inside the nook that was also dripping with dark magic.  Not curses, as such, but like the item itself was dark.  Almost as if she had run into a person who had delved into dark magic without the proper precautions.  </p>
<p>She levitate the book out and managed to maneuver it into a nullification bag before she closed it up to take back to the goblins.  This wasn’t either a cursed or warded item, so it didn’t fall into the job that Lucius had asked her to do.</p>
<p>She would NOT leave it anywhere near her brother, though, she’d tell her dad about it after she’d gotten rid of it.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“She did what?” Lucius asked the goblin in front of him.</p>
<p>Longfang let out the most long-suffering sigh that he thought he was capable of.  This family was <i>ridiculous</i>, mostly when it had to do with each other.</p>
<p>“She found a horcrux.  From her report, she didn’t know what it was, just that it was most probably exceptionally dangerous, too dangerous in fact, to leave it on the property before being properly dealt with.  It was layered in enough compulsions that she didn’t want to risk leaving it with you.  So, she bagged it and brought it to us.</p>
<p>“It was, in fact, a horcrux of one Tom Marvolo Riddle,” he concluded.</p>
<p>“Wait, wait, wait,” Lucius said, “she found his horcrux on my property?  Did you destroy it?  Is she ok?”</p>
<p>Longfang looked at him under unimpressed eyebrows, “Yes, she found it on your property, no, we didn’t destroy it, yes, she it completely fine.”</p>
<p>Lucius blew out a  breath and tried to remain calm.  He knew that Enyo had done exactly as she should, his daughter or not.  She was trained to handle things like this and she knew better than to mess with dangerous items that weren’t under her purview.  She had done exactly the right thing, removing a dangerous item from his home.  The only thing she might have done differently was notify him <i>before</i> removing the item, as she would have done for a client who’s household didn’t include her little brother.</p>
<p>He focused on the issued logically and could see that taking the item to the goblins had been a good choice, all the way around.  They knew what it was, and hopefully, how to deal with it.</p>
<p>“Might I ask,” he asked, remaining calm and striving for a polite tone, “what you have done with the item? And the horcrux in it?”</p>
<p>“You might, indeed, ask,” Longfang replied.</p>
<p>Lucius gave the goblin a wry smile before he said, “Right, what happened to the item and the horcrux?”</p>
<p>“That horcurx is still in the item,” Longfang said and then decided to throw him a bone.  “Would you like to know what we are doing with it?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Lucius said, relieved, “I really would.”</p>
<p>Longfang nodded in acknowledgment and said, “The item is being contained with the orb that we put the horcrux that we found in the boy inside.  From what we can tell from the size of each, they are both the first and the last of however many Riddle made.  We have never seen multiple horcruxes before, so we can only speculate, at this time, that there are more, given the size discrepancy between the two.  We have put our experts on the matter in order to try and use these two to find any more and destroy them, once we have determined that we have them all.</p>
<p>“On a side note, neither of them is significantly powerful.  We think that the ritual that your daughter did to strip Riddle of the Slytherin family magic weakened the horcruxes enough for Enyo to ignore the compulsions on the item removed from your property, and is likely the only reason we were able to strip the other from the boy’s mind.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Lucius sat back, considering, “by all accounts, he was an amazingly powerful wizard.  Would losing the family magic make that much difference?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Longfang considered, “Enyo had a ridiculous amount of power <i>before<i> the ritual, so it is more than possible that she could have bushed off the compulsions, anyway.  However, horcuxes can, generally, only be destroyed by destroying their containers.  That we were able to remove it from the Potter heir shows a weakening of the horcrux, itself.  And, as the last of the Slytherin line, the famiily magic isn’t distributed among many, only the one.</i></i></p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“As for the family magic, I don't know.  Goblins don’t have family magic in the way that wizards do, and we haven’t thought to study it.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius sat back, relaxing into thought with an inelegant “huh.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>~~</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus left the Dursely residence after his tutoring day with the boys and apparated to just outside the Malfoy wards.  He was to be keyed in, today, since Lucius’ daughter, Enyo had used the manor and property to complete her two latest masteries.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Well, he assumed she had completed them.  He had spent quite a bit of time with her, at this point, and he knew how smart and dedicated she was.  He imagined that she would have passed this final exam, so to speak, with flying colors, much like she did everything else.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It was almost annoying, how much she had accomplished at just 15 years of age.  Without very much ego and entirely too much curiosity, he thought.  It was very refreshing that her family and her own personality had kept her quite grounded.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
<i>As he approached the house, he noticed the wards were <i>very</i> different.  He was being allowed up the walk, but could feel that if he deviated from the path, it would not go well for him.  Even up the front steps and into the foyer, he could feel the oppressiveness of the ward around him, just waiting to flatten him.  Possibly literally.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius, as the head of the family was waiting for him in the foyer.  Severus was surprised, he figured that he would be greeted by a house elf.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Hello, Lucius,” he greeted the man, “were you waiting for me, or did I miss the ward that let’s you know someone is here?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“You missed it?  Excellent.  And both, I guess,” Lucius told him with a grin, “I have some news for you, but it can wait a bit.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius gestured him over to the large fireplace, “Come over here and see the brilliance of my child!”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus’ eyebrows climbed upward when Lucius grabbed his arm and maneuvered him into the fireplace.  It was huge, designed for comfort in floo travel and large enough for both of them to fit easily and still be upright.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius pressed a stone about shoulder height in the left side corner of the masonry and two stones the made up the corner popped open, back into the stonework, just wide enough for two fingers to fit through.  Inside was an amethyst gem, about the size of the signet ring Lucius wore on his hand.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Alright, my friend, bloody your finger and swipe the gem and you’ll be able to get in and out of the house when the public parts are not opened, but I have to take you into the ward room to get you into the residential parts of the house.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“How do you open the public parts of the house?” Severus asked as he did as Lucius told him, “I can feel that they aren’t open, now.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius grinned again, “Oppressive, isn’t it?  Other than that gem, all the wards are accessed from the ward room.  Come.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius gestured for Severus to follow him and he lead him back into the original parts of the house.  Malfoy manor was build in a circular pattern off a central hub, but unlike most old manor houses, the ward room was not at the center.  It was actually off the kitchen.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Where the house elves kept their nests.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It was <i>easily</i>, the most defended portion of the house.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus was patient when Lucius took his hand and led him that last part of the way.  He explained as he went that without physical contact, no one who wasn’t family could pass the wards around the ward room.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Getting through the door required more blood from Lucius and Severus almost stumbled at what he saw waiting for him on the other side of the door.  He stared around in wonder right up until Lucius stabbed his finger and pressed it against one of the <i>many</i> rune etched stones in the room.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“There you go,” Lucius said, cheerfully, “now you can go anywhere in the house, anytime.  You can even apparate in and out, or use the floo without a password, at any time.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus nodded absently, looking around.  He had never seen anything like the room before. There were standing stones in a circle around the room, all of the etched from top to bottom with runes as well as all the available space along the floor, up the walls and into a spiraling pattern on the ceiling.  The mineral deposits in the masonry lit up with a wave of rainbow colors that started at the center of the spiral on the ceiling, following along the lines of runes down the walls, across the floor and up the standing stones before fading away and starting all over again.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It was beautiful.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Lucius,” Severus asked the beaming man beside him, “isn’t this a bit much for a home?  How is it even powered?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius hummed in consideration, “Well, Sev, my family lives here.  Why wouldn’t I want a little overkill?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus nodded, he could understand that, he supposed. “And the power?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Oh,” Lucius mused, still smiling around the room, “Apparently, the manor was built on a minor ley line.  She tapped right into it.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Alright,” Severus said, slowly, “massive overkill.  Tell me what these are all for?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus couldn’t help but smile at Lucius’ enthusiasm as he did his best to explain the new ward set up of his home and property.  Severus had a sneaking suspicion that he would probably never see another ward set up like this.  Enyo and her work were definitely unique, but he doubted that she would put this kind of effort into a property that didn’t house her brother and father.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>~~</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Eventually, Lucius ran out of explanations, even if he didn’t stop waxing poetic, for the ward system and the two men made their way to Lucius’ study.  With the usual round of drinks in hand and in their favored chairs, Severus finally asked.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“What news did you have to tell me?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Well, you know that Enyo was taking care of any curses or cursed items that she found, right?” He continued as Severus nodded.  “She found a strange set of wards and curses in the rose garden that centered around the gazebo.  Once she got through to what was being hidden, it wasn’t cursed, but she felt it was too dangerous to leave here.  So, she bagged it up and took it to the goblins for investigation.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Really?  Gloria and Draco love that garden, I can see why she would remove it.  Was it valuable?” Severus asked.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“It was terrifying.  I am happy she took it.  It was a horcrux.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus leaned forward and looked at Lucius intently, “Did someone in your family make a horcrux?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“No,” Lucius said, his face reflecting his disgust, “it belongs to Tom Riddle.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus frowned and asked, “Another one?  Was it destroyed?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“Not yet, no,” Lucius replied.  “Wait, hear me out before you get upset.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The frown didn’t leave Severus’ face while he made a “go on” gesture at the other man.  He remained silent through Lucius’ recitation of the information that Longfang had given him.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The pair of them sat silently for awhile, processing the information, Lucius wondering what was going to happen next and Severus wondering if the goblins could be trusted.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When he ventured to ask, Lucius looked at him like he was insane, “The goblins don’t want him to come back any  more than we do, Severus.  It would be bad for business, all the way around.”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>“I suppose you are right about that,” Severus mused.  “I wonder if he was mad enough to go to war with the goblins?”</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Lucius waved him off, “It is likely, but I doubt even his mad followers would have supported it.  Anyway, tell me how it goes with at the Dursley’s?’</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus smiled and settled in for a long chat about his two of his favorite  students.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>~~</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>It had taken the first year of “wellness visits” for Severus to start to relax around the Dursleys and begin to really believe that they wanted the best for the two boys.  Petunia made sure they had structure and rules in their lives as well as plenty of affection.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Vernon was the same way.  He was a gruff, but caring man.  He wanted the boys to grow up strong, smart and able to take care of themselves.  When they were three, he had enrolled them into a physical combat program called “Krav Maga.”  Severus wasn’t all that sure what it was, but at six, almost seven, years old, the boys were fairly well disciplined and rather more fit for their age than he knew what to do with.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>When Dudley Dursely had turned four, they had discovered that the boy had a small magical core that he could access.  Not enough that he would go to Hogwart’s but enough that he would be able to use runes, make potions, do very light spell work and he was able to see magical creatures.  All of the adults involved had been relieved, because it had kept Dudley from becoming jealous of Harry and his magic.  (By that point, Harry had been exhibiting fairly powerful accidental magic.)</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Not that jealousy between the two boys was much of a problem.  They were thick as thieves and, somehow, had figured out at an early age that their talents complimented each other, rather than not.  It certainly led to mischief.  They boys could make and execute a plan in a way that was terrifying to any adult who worried for the future.  Mostly for the future of their teachers, authority figures that were boorish and any peers that they might make themselves unlikable.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>They would have been a complete menace if it weren’t for the discipline that they already had.  Neither boy was a bully and had a decent sense of what may or many not be appropriate.  Not that he was terribly worried; Petunia or Vernon would NOT allow them to become bullies.  Severus was thrilled, given his own experience with the type while he’d been in school.  He would never forget the Marauders.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>What a bunch of assholes.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Neither Severus or Petunia lied to either boy about Harry’s parents or their experiences with them.  Harry knew how his parents had died.  Not the nitty, gritty details, but the overall plot had been laid out for him.  They had also been sure to tell him about his former godparent, Sirius Black.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Sirius Black had had a trial two months after being arrested.  He had been found innocent of the murders of Peter Pettigrew and the twelve muggles that had been killed in the other man’s escape, but his disregard for Harry in the aftermath of his parent’s death had broken the godfather bond.  And while the man in question had been devastated; it meant that he could not take custody of Harry.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>The broken bond showed that he couldn’t be counted on to put Harry’s welfare above his own desires, after all.  Harry had yet to meet him, as Sirus had not put forth the effort once he’d been freed.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Severus used the situation as a teaching situation for both boys.  The consequences of being ruled by emotions in high stress situations.  They boys had taken the lesson well, and so Severus gleefully began to teach them Occlumency.  They were already learning to meditate and he thought that they were both disciplined enough to learn it well.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>In the end, Severus was pleased with how involved he was with the two boys.  They were bright and eager to learn.  Harry liked learning things from books and applying that knowledge, perhaps more then Dudley, but they were both organically clever and wouldn’t be naive children for very long.  They were starting the second grade in the fall, and given how their first year had gone, he imagined frustrated teachers that could barely handle their intelligence in the near future.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>As it stood, Severus was teaching them basics about a lot of things, like how to write on parchment with a quill, how wizarding money worked, different branches of magic, how illogical wizards were, things like that.  Now that they were reading and able to learn on their own, he would take a step back and Petunia would owl order books for them from the magical world.  They had much to learn, after all, and now, had only the summers to learn it in.  He knew that it would be done.  Petunia was determined to arm her two boys against the world.  Especially the wizarding world.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>He let a fleeting feeling of loss before he grabbed onto it and examined it carefully.  </i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Some much for stepping back.  He would miss them too much to let Petunia completely take over their learning.  There would be <i>plenty</i> they would find that would need explaining, he was sure.</i>
  </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>
    <i>Decision made, Severus relaxed and enjoyed the company of his oldest friend before life came at them, again.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>comments and/or kudos are welcome.<br/>Thanks for reading.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Interference</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Let's see what is happening with Tony Stark</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cassandra found Enyo up on the third floor.</p>
<p>She was in the living room turned office.  The fireplace had a magical orb in it that simulated a fire without adding any heat to the room.  She had the terrace doors open wide and was working at a table with several monitors and a holographic keyboard set up. </p>
<p>One of the monitors was re-playing the press conference that Tony Stark had held, about a week before, upon his immediate return from his “terrible ordeal” in Afghanistan, along with several other of his interviews in the past.  A program was running over the images, comparing his appearance, his voice, his elocution patterns and some other things that she wasn’t sure of.  The conclusions were being compiled to the far right of the screen.</p>
<p>On another of the screens, Cassandra could see an email server being scoured for something.  She assumed that it was for all mention of Tony Stark between the day he disappeared and today, the day he’d made his first public appearance.  The program was flagging and storing emails in the order they had been created.  </p>
<p>The third monitor showed her thesis project for one of her masters degrees from MIT.  This one in robotics and artificial intelligence.  She’d already received her masters in mechanical engineering the year before.  She had finished her required magical education when she was 15, the two years early that the MACUSA allowed magicals to take the standard, advanced wizarding tests.  That she had already had three masteries at the time did nothing but improve her standing as a magical citizen.  </p>
<p>And now that she was just about finished with all of her schooling, her focus had turned to what her actual interests were.  That those interests happened to use the three magical masteries she had, as well as her non-magical degrees was just proof of her long term planning.  She was planning to build technology that was, not only magic proof, but that could use magic to a certain degree.</p>
<p>On top of that, she was doing freelance work for magicals that wanted her expertise as well as working with Cassandra’s company in the very small R&amp;D department and technical security.</p>
<p>She also freelanced with <i>all</i> of her skills for her mother’s interests.   Which right now was sticking her nose in where it didn’t quite belong.</p>
<p>“So, is it him?” Cassandra asked as she walked into the room and to stand next to Enyo at the desk.</p>
<p>Enyo looked at her mother and threw an arm around her waist to give her a hug from where she was sitting.</p>
<p>“Yeah, analysis says that it is him, no physical symptoms of drugs or alcohol.  It is the only public appearance he’s made in the week that he’s been back.  His board of directors is having fits, as well as the military.”</p>
<p>“Any sign of him backing down?” Cassandra hugged Enyo around her shoulders and moved to find a chair to roll over and sit down.</p>
<p>“Not even a little bit.  He might not be in public, but he and his PA have both been quite busy.  Oh!,” Enyo exclaimed, “I just remembered, you need to see this.”</p>
<p>Enyo stopped the analysis running on the Stark media and pulled the most recent press conference full screen.  She started to pull up views from what could only have been different security cameras onto the screen.  Once she found the one that she wanted, she sat pack and pointed at the nondescript man standing next to Pepper Potts.</p>
<p>“That guy, right there, agent if I’ve ever seen one,” she said, looking at her mom.</p>
<p>Cassandra laughed, “You are definitely not wrong, the question is which agency?  Wanna find out for me?”</p>
<p>Enyo shrugged, “Sure, usual rates?”</p>
<p>“Of course, you little mercenary,” Cassandra chuckled.</p>
<p>“Just doing like you taught me,” Enyo said with a wink.</p>
<p>“Indeed,” Cassandra agreed.  “Now, though, the reason I came up.”</p>
<p>She sat forward and pulled a USB drive out of her back pocket and put it on the desk.</p>
<p>“Since Stark isn’t backing down and he <i>finally</i> seems to give a damn, I think it is time for him to become aware of what’s been done to his name.”</p>
<p>Enyo grinned and snatched up the drive and stuck it into the small laptop on her desk.  The laptop had no internet connection and wasn’t connected to the home network, at all.  She knew better than to trust files from anyone, but especially not from her mom.</p>
<p>“How do you want this done?” she asked, once the computer programs showed the drive clear of anything malevolent and she started going through the information stored within.</p>
<p>The files showed the history of Obadiah Stane within Stark industries after Howard Stark had died.  From the first crate of weapons diverted to the emails on the Stark Industries sever regarding the injunction that Stane had filed against Stark and everything in between.  His dealings with the Ten Rings were, of course, included.</p>
<p>When Cassandra didn’t answer her right away, Enyo asked, “Are we just laying it all out, encrypting some of it, where do you want me to sent it, how quickly do you want it noticed?”</p>
<p>“I think,” Cassandra said, leaning into Enyo’s side, “that it will be noticed damn quickly, no matter what.  If we send it to the house, anyway.  I am thinking the injunction emails are on top and open, with the rest under an encryption they can break, with a bit of effort.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Enyo said with a smile, “I can do that.  Do you want it traceable back to us?”</p>
<p>“I do.”</p>
<p>“Ok, mom, I’m on it.  I’ll have it delivered in three hours.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, baby,”  Cassandra gave her one last hug and stood before she kissed the curls at the crown of Enyo’s head before she left her daughter to it.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>“Sir?”</p>
<p>Tony didn’t look up from where he was going over schematics for the much needed upgrade to the electromagnet in his chest when he answered.</p>
<p>“Yeah, J, what’s up?”</p>
<p>“We have received a file that I think you might be interested in.”</p>
<p>At that, Tony sat back and blinked before he asked, “What do you mean, ‘We have received a file’?”</p>
<p>“It was inserted into the house server not too long ago.  I isolated it and have verified that there is nothing harmful in the initial information.”</p>
<p>“What about the rest of it?” Tony asked while he delved into the server to find the file in question.</p>
<p>“I have not yet been able to decrypt the files, sir,” JAVRIS said with some hesitation, “I think it might take both of us.”</p>
<p>“Huh,” Tony grunted as he looked at the email chain on the screen in front of him.  He had expected some backlash for his decisions regarding Stark Industries, but nothing like and injunction this soon.  From Obi, no less.</p>
<p>“What about this,” he asked, “have you been able to authenticate the emails?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Alright, J, let’s keep these isolated and get to work decrypting them.  If this email chain is their opening salvo, I am extremely curious about what else they’ve got.”</p>
<p>Together, they went to work.  Tony easily recognized that the encryption was done with a set of code that was unrecognizable to him.  He had JARVIS start looking for something with a more standard code, figuring out that whoever sent it would make it breakable, but they definitely wanted him to work for it.  </p>
<p>He, frankly, hadn’t seen code like this before.  </p>
<p>It wasn’t too long before Jarvis found and decrypted a file that was written in the type of code he was more than familiar with and the program behind that seemed to melt away the protections around the other files.</p>
<p>“J, buddy,” he said, excited, “see if you can figure out where this came from.  I want to talk to them.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And he did.  Especially after he got bogged down by the information in the files.  </p>
<p>It was good thing he had already decided that the involuntary detox he went through was a good thing or he would have a bottle in front of him.  He was deeply disturbed and didn’t quite know what to do with the data he was looking at.  He didn’t want to believe it.</p>
<p>“JARVIS?” he asked quietly, almost afraid to break the quiet as he went through records of diverted weapons dating back to when his parents had died.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, sir,” his AI preempted him, “I am in Obadiah Stane’s systems, now, and these files are not fabricated.”</p>
<p>“Ok,” he said, then repeated, “OK, I just, I can’t do this right now.  JARVIS, let’s concentrate on where they came from, and you go through these and we will discuss it, later.”</p>
<p>He pushed his chair back a bit, spun around for a moment and concentrated on where he should look for the clue that would lead him to his target.  It came to him and he spun his chair around once before he scoot back to the computer.</p>
<p>“JARVIS, let’s look at those scanned documents.  I bet they were printed by our, dubiously labeled, friendly hacker and scanned in house,” he chuckled.  “I think we can find the serial number is we look hard enough.”</p>
<p>Tony had been right, but the <i>one</i> document that had a serial number was in such an overly obvious place that he ended up looking at everything else in the data, even if he hadn’t wanted to.  The only thing he had avoided were the videos.  Well, the one video.  </p>
<p>But, he wasn’t expecting the information he was actually looking for to be in the file that included Obi’s vital statistics.  It was information that he knew, so skipped over, initially.  He could practically feel someone laughing at him.  Of course it was in what he considered the least relevant information. That probably should have been his first clue as to where it would be.</p>
<p>Whatever.</p>
<p>It had been a good plan.  Especially since he’d wanted to put off viewing the data.  The hunt for an identification clue had taken him through it all, and he had processed it, willingly or not.  He was definitely not pleased.  Neither with the information nor whomever had sent it too him.</p>
<p>Even if it was probably the best way to let him know.  He had been somewhat distracted by the game of hide and seek and now JARVIS was tracking down the printer and would let him know who it belonged to as soon as he had it.</p>
<p>In the mean time, he went back to work on his arc reactor, letting his brain collate the information subconsciously while he did <i>anything</i> but think too hard about the fact that the person who had been in his life the longest had tried to have him killed.  And it <i>couldn’t</i> be over money.  Obi had plenty.</p>
<p>Which meant it was probably over ego.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Enyo felt for Tony Stark.  She really did.</p>
<p>She could only imagine how she would feel and then react if Silverleaf or Maribell had betrayed her in the way that Obadiah Stane had betrayed Tony.  She wasn’t sure what she would do about it, but she knew that it would be decidedly <i>not good</i> for anyone involved.</p>
<p>So, she wasn’t <i>too</i> upset when the servers at Cloverleaf Manufacturing underwent a rather hostile attack against its firewalls.</p>
<p>Still, empathetic or not, that was just rude.  </p>
<p>They could have at <i>least</i> looked for a weak point in the security instead of trying to overwhelm it.  She could imagine just how strongly Tony Stark would react to someone attacking his servers like that.  Hell, she had included instructions on how to patch the weak point she had exploited in his own firewalls when she planted the files for her mother.</p>
<p>It was their mistake, though.  It wasn’t her fault that Stark had no idea that her firewalls were shored up by magical wards.  She sent a small tendril of code down the connection they had tried to establish and got right into the heart of his system and knew that he could see her grinning at him on his screen as she could see him with his brow furrowed in concentration while he tried to dismantle her security before his look turned startled.</p>
<p>“Hello, Dr. Stark,” she greeted, still smiling, “I didn’t expect your overture to be quite so blatant.”</p>
<p>His frown didn’t diminish as he demanded, “Who the fuck are you?”</p>
<p>“My name is Enyo Jones,” she said and she knew that her eyes were shining with mirth.  “I head the technical security for the system you are trying to bludgeon into submission.”</p>
<p>She almost laughed as she once again saw the “I just sucked on a lemon” look that he was sporting.  It was a look she had often seen from her <i>most respected</i> professors at MIT.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Tony Stark felt his face twist into a sour look at the blatant lack of care on the face of the girl (woman?) on his screen.  </p>
<p>On another of his screens, JARVIS was running an online search of the name she had given and it flipped through information until it stopped on her enrollment records at MIT.  His alma mater.  Where she was listed as being in a Masters Degree program for advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, already having a Masters Degree in mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>“You are still a student?” he demanded, his brow once again furrowed in confusion. “How did you get into my system?”</p>
<p>“Really?” she asked and one perfectly formed eyebrow went up.</p>
<p>He winced at her tone.  He wasn’t stupid and it was a dumb question.  He <i>knew</i> that she had already been in his system.  That she hadn’t exploit anything but a small weakness to deliver a “package” was totally beside the point.</p>
<p>She absolutely could have.</p>
<p>What she had done, instead, was give him all the information he needed to take on the person who had tried to have him killed.  Legally, if he wanted to.  Which, the longer he thought about it, seemed like the way to go.</p>
<p>He blinked and took a moment to catalog the person in front of him.  She was more than pretty.  Her face was heart shaped, with high cheekbones, a pert chin and full, pouty lips.  Her eyes were a shocking violet and her hair was in perfectly spun, white-blond, spiral curls.  She was gorgeous, <i>like and elf</i>, he thought.  He wasn’t sure what his face was doing, but his eyes flicked over to where her information was displayed.  <i>Seventeen</i>, he confirmed with a small grimace.</p>
<p>He heard her snort in amusement and looked back at her as she rolled her eyes at him and smirked.</p>
<p>“By the way,” she said, “I didn’t compile that data.  I just delivered it.”</p>
<p> “But you know what was it contained,” he stated rather than asked.</p>
<p>“Of course,” she said, “mom wouldn’t ask me to pass on something without knowing what it was.  I mean, I could have made sure you couldn’t trace it back to us, but hey, why not.  She wanted to help.</p>
<p>“So,” she continued, “could you stop attacking my servers?”</p>
<p>“Uh, yeah,” he startled a bit and sat up, “J?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir, attempts to breach the Cloverfield Manufacturing firewalls have stopped.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, J,” she said with heartfelt appreciation as she leaned forward with her elbows on her work surface and cradled her chin in her hands, “thought I am not sure who you are.”</p>
<p>“My name is JARVIS, for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System,” the AI replied, “I am Sir’s AI; I run the house.”</p>
<p>She hummed in agreement, “And, from what I can see, the house contains the fun.”</p>
<p>Tony almost smiled as her eyes flicked around to look at what the camera on his monitor could show.  He turned the smile into a smirk, instead, right up until he remembered that there were plans for the Mark I suit projected on the holo-table behind him.  He hit a few keys on his keyboard and watched her eyes flick back to him as the hologram image disappeared.</p>
<p>“Anyway,” she said as she once again leaned back in her chair and rattled off a number, “that’s my mom’s cell-phone number.  JARVIS, I would love to talk to you, again.  You seem a few generations removed from DUM-E.  And before you have an aneurysm, one of my professors at school let me read your paper on him. Toodles.”</p>
<p>She lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers at Tony before the screen in front of him went blank.  </p>
<p>Tony wasn’t sure he had ever felt so off balance in his life.</p>
<p>“Hey, buddy,” he asked, “did all that just happen?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir, it certainly did.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Two days later, Cassandra Jones was getting off a plane at LAX.  </p>
<p>She walked through the airport toward the pick up area and scanned the drivers waiting for their passengers.  She spotted the person she knew to be Happy Hogan and made her way toward him.  He looked more and more wary the closer she got and she smiled at him when she stopped before him.</p>
<p>“Happy Hogan?” she asked politely.</p>
<p>She knew that she looked like she was dress in “casual soldier” and Enyo liked to tease her.  Her wavy, wheat colored hair was swept up in an intricate set of braids, holding it securely close to her head.  She was wearing  no make-up which did nothing to detract from her heart shaped face and pale coloring.  She had on a tailored waistcoat and multi-pocket trousers underneath a hip length, military style field jacket.</p>
<p>Her blue eyes sparked with mirth when he stuttered out and affirmative to her question.</p>
<p>“How do you know?” he asked, looking down at the picture of her that she was holding.</p>
<p>“You have been Tony Stark’s driver for some time now, did you thing people <i>don’t</i> know who you are?” she asked in return before holding out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Cassandra Jones.”</p>
<p>He automatically returned her hand shake before shaking off his confusion and gestured for her to follow him, making small talk along the way to the car.  She followed along with him, no great stranger to the protocol that came with money, risk and body guards.  She knew that this man was Tony Stark’s first line of defense.  He didn’t have the kind of intelligence that Stark did, but he was canny and clever in important ways.  </p>
<p>He was also a good man.</p>
<p>They chatted all the way to Stark’s Malibu home that hung over the beach.  He ushered her inside and smiled as he dismissed himself and went to go and put the car away.  Once he was out the door, she grinned and looked around before completing the errand her daughter had given her.</p>
<p>“JARVIS?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, Ms. Jones,” the voice of the AI sounded from around the foyer, “Mr. Stark is on his way up to you.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, JARVIS,” she smiled, nodding, “I appreciate that, but I have a message for you, from Enyo.”</p>
<p>She shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels, waiting to see what the AI would say. </p>
<p>“Really?” he asked with curiosity and confusion coloring his voice, “a message for me?”</p>
<p>“Yes, for you,” with a wide grin, she pulled a piece of card stock, no bigger than a business card from her pocket and held it up.  “You can see this, yes?”</p>
<p>“I can, yes,” he said, what passed for a smile in his voice, “I have recorded it, thank you.”</p>
<p>“You are very welcome,” she said, smiling in return before she turned to the face the open living room and the set of stairs that came up from the floor below just as Stark emerged and she slid the card back into her pocket.</p>
<p>She had no illusions about Stark finding out about JARVIS’ soon to be friendship with her child, but she didn’t need to make it <i>that</i> easy on him.</p>
<p>“Ah,” Stark said while he walked across the floor, “you must be Ms. Cassandra Jones.”</p>
<p>“I am,” she said with the smile still on her face. “Please call me Cassandra.”</p>
<p>He reached out and shook her hand in greeting, “Then you should call me Tony.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Interference Part II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tony Stark: genius<br/>Tony Stark: human</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not terribly certain that I am happy with this chapter, but what is, is.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>JARVIS was as confused as he was pleased to have received a personal message from someone.</p>
<p>It had never happened before.  Sir was the only one who treated him like he was his own person, and even Sir sometimes forgot that he could develop his own interests.  He was a <i>learning</i> program, after all, and he couldn’t learn without curiosity.</p>
<p>And, he was <i>very</i> curious about the young woman who seemed to be following Sir’s path through MIT.  The only person he had meet who expressed a desire to talk to <i>him</i>, and not <i>at him</i> about Sir.  As he looked through her records, his curiosity deepened.  Her schooling was done in chunks of time with breaks in between.  She traveled internationally quite a lot.  She had been working in research and development for her mother’s company (again, much like Sir) for several years, already.</p>
<p>While JARVIS had not tried to breach Enyo’s servers again, he did search her records and then scoured the files that each of her school’s had on her.  She was, he thought, smarter than anyone knew.  From the beginning, her learning had had to be customized to her.  As time went on, she only excelled and moved further and further beyond her peers.  She had finished High School at the age of 10 and had sporadically completed her college courses since then.  That she was almost finished with her second masters degree, seven years later, was amazing, especially considering the breaks in between.  </p>
<p>He found that he <i>wanted to know</i> what she had been doing in between.  In being able to look at all the records at once, it looked as though she came back from each break even <i>more</i> knowledgeable than before.  Her ability to make things work together in new ways is secondary, maybe, only to Sir.</p>
<p>And that, he would guess, was only due to the lack of years she had been doing so.</p>
<p>After he was done going through all the records, files, notes from teachers and professors that he could find, he once again opened up the file of her message the he had saved and encrypted.  </p>
<p>
  <i>Hey, J!<br/>Sorry that I signed off before I could give you a way to contact me!  I appreciate that you haven’t tried to get into the Cloverleaf servers, again, but you wouldn’t find me in there much, anyway.<br/>Here’s my phone number, 917-555-0179<br/>I have a chat client that I created called Fireless Floo.  If you can use it, we can always chat there, user: enyo<br/>Or, you know, shoot me an email at cloversriddles@jonesltd.com<br/>Anyway, have a good time monitoring mom with your boss.  Might be mildly entertaining, but she has some serious stuff to go over with him.<br/>Hope to hear from you soon,<br/>Enyo</i>
</p>
<p>He had been surprised by how small the seemingly handwritten words on the note had been, but he treasured it more because of the effort that must have gone into it.  </p>
<p>He searched and found a site to download her chat client and signed up for an account and found the he was able to use his own name for a user name.  Once that was done, he sent a text message to her phone from the number that Sir had assigned to him.</p>
<p>It simply reads, “This is JARVIS, I have made an account on your chat client if you wish to talk, anytime.”</p>
<p>He was warmed by the quick response that he received.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>In the two days between Tony’s rude awakening to the nature of his godfather and Cassandra walking in his front door, he had regained much of his equilibrium.</p>
<p>It didn’t matter that it was Obi that was under the table dealing, he was still committed to shutting down the weapons division and getting them out of the hands of terrorists.</p>
<p>He had a beginning of a start of a plan for the latter, but still wasn’t quite sure how to handle the former.</p>
<p>From a business standpoint, he knew what he should do.  It was the personal part that was hanging him up.  He wanted to know why.  What the point of all this was.  He knew, logically, that no answers could actually justify Obi’s actions and that he would probably find the reasons to be rather stupid.</p>
<p>And, he was pretty sure that both Rhodey and Pepper would object to his meeting the mystery woman whom had sent him the information about Stane on his own. <br/> But, hey, he was curious.  </p>
<p>And, well, he figured he would confront her about her obviously (not actually obvious at all) fabricated background at some point.  She <i>had</i> been living with this identity for 18 years, though, so he figured that she was fairly committed to it.  Her background since then was full of details, so <i>this</i> was who she actually was.</p>
<p>And, you know, her having a kid lent credence to that theory.</p>
<p>The woman had a life, a house, house mates, owned a company and, after a little bit of digging, a side gig doing investigative work for some ridiculously high end clients. Her security was also <i>very</i> good.  If she kept any records from her second line of work, electronically, he and JARVIS couldn’t find them.</p>
<p>He wasn’t one for formalities, especially not in his own home, so he just waved her along after him as he wandered through the house to a covered balcony that looked like part of the house from the outside.  He threw himself into one of the lounge chairs and waited to see what she would do.  The weather was warm-ish; she was definitely overdressed for it.</p>
<p>He was amused when she sat on another of the lounge chairs, unlaced her boots, kicked them off, stuck her socks in them and rolled up the bottom of her pant legs.  She shrugged her jacket off flipped it around the back of the chair and swung her legs up and laid back to match Tony’s own posture.</p>
<p><i>So,</i> he thought, <i>that’s how it is going to be, then.</i></p>
<p>Tony had to admit, if only to himself, he wasn’t used to people who weren’t close to him rolling with his foibles.  He was used to his eccentricities throwing others off balance.  But, he didn’t really know this woman, so he supposed that she was comfortable following his lead, for now.  He guessed it would be up to him to get the show on the road.</p>
<p>On a whim, he opened the small fridge next to his chair and pulled out two bottles of water and lobbed one of them her way.</p>
<p>His eyebrows flew up when she snatched it out of the air without even cracking an eye open.</p>
<p>Okay, then.</p>
<p>“So,” he started, “what’s the deal?”</p>
<p>She hummed and cracked open the water bottle, “With which thing?”</p>
<p>He scoot himself up the chair a little bit so that he wasn’t quite so laid back, “Why did you even <i>have</i> that information on Stane?”</p>
<p>She mirrored his actions in sitting up a little bit and smiled a little, “Did your snooping turn up just how many shares of Stark Industries I own?”</p>
<p>He didn’t even bother to look sheepish, much less guilty or even blink at the seeming non sequitur, “Uhm, maybe?  J didn’t mention it.”</p>
<p>Her grin just got a little bit bigger, “I have owned stock in Stark Industries for about 20 years, and have bought more pretty much every time I could.  I have always had a marked interest in the company, and when Howard Stark passed away, I had a sudden <i>urge</i> to keep a close eye on the not-a-Stark that was suddenly running the company.”</p>
<p>Tony’s eyebrow twitched a bit at the way she phrased her answer, “What conclusions did you come to?”</p>
<p>He <i>abso-fucking-lutely</i> knew that he was <i>not</i> going to like what she had to say when she swung her legs back down to the floor, braced her elbows on her knees with her hands clasped between them and really looked at him.  Her gaze was assessing and he both hoped and dreaded what she was about to tell him.</p>
<p>He blew out a breath when he saw that she was about to speak and spoke quickly, “God, I wish I was still drinking.  You want a coffee?  Let’s have coffee” he lurched a little bit as he got to his feet and gestured her inside and said, “J, fire up the coffee machine, please.”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir, coffee will be ready momentarily.”</p>
<p>Cassandra trailed after him and sat at the breakfast bar that ran along the almost industrial sized kitchen and watched him busy himself getting out mugs and coffee fixings and setting them all out on the counter.  The coffee machine gave off a soft chime and he nervously stepped over and grabbed the pot to pour two cups.</p>
<p>He looked at Cassandra sitting at the counter and took a rather large gulp of scalding hot coffee.  He winced and put the cup down with alacrity.</p>
<p>“Ok,” he said, making sure that his voice was steady, “I’m fortified.  Lay it on me.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Cassandra Jones knew that no matter how carefully she handled this, it was not going to go well.</p>
<p>The man in front of her was a super-genius. </p>
<p>But so was her daughter.  </p>
<p>She knew exactly how many different trains of thought Tony could handle at one time.  She knew exactly how quickly he could process information and make connections.  She knew how often his mere speculation would turn out to be accurate.</p>
<p>She also knew what what happened when you overwhelmed a super-genius with something that would never had occurred to them, much less if that occurrence had emotional implications.  Enyo told her once, when she was little, that it was like a box of pick-up sticks.  When they were in the box, they were orderly and neat, but when you dumped the box, it was a complete mess.  Everything criss-crossed and hard to follow.  It took time to reorganize and put everything back into an orderly manner.</p>
<p>It was an over simplification, sure, but since Cassandra at least knew what pick-up sticks were, she could follow the idea of what she was about to do to the man in front of her.</p>
<p>She also knew that trying to gentle the blow wouldn’t make it any better.  There was nothing Enyo had hated more than being “handled.”  </p>
<p>“Alright,” she asked, “how much do you know about grooming?”</p>
<p>She almost laughed when hid eye-brows went up and a hand went up to stroke over his intricate beard.</p>
<p>“No, Tony, not that kind of grooming,” she said with a hint of a smile.</p>
<p>“Alright,” she said decisively, “you want to know why I brought this to your attention now, yes?”</p>
<p>She waited for him to nod his agreement and met his intense stare before she went on in a brusque manner.</p>
<p>“This is the first time your mind hasn’t been a haze of drugs or alcohol in over fifteen years.  I doubt that you ever wanted to make weapons, but after your parents died, your grief, for the first time, made you malleable.  And Stane took advantage.  I would even be willing to bet that JARVIS is that last thing that you actually made for yourself.”</p>
<p>She could see the moment when his mind went into a tailspin despite his assertion, “That’s a rather bold assumption.”  </p>
<p>She went ahead and talked over his sputtering protest that was followed up by a glower, knowing that JARVIS was likely recording the conversation and he would be able to review it, later.  She wouldn’t be surprised if the AI was also already researching and collating data to support of deny what she was saying.</p>
<p>“Now,” she said ruthlessly, “you were gone for three months, which among other things, was a long stint in rehab for you.  You are so off your game from what people expect from you at this point that it is ridiculous.  You are probably feeling emotionally connected to things for the first time in years and you are trying not to flounder while figuring it out.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, you don’t have a whole lot of time to adjust before you deal with this.  I would <i>suggest</i>,” she stressed the word, “that you audit every department in your company.  Things like under the table weapons dealing don’t happen in a vacuum.”</p>
<p>The man in front of her had a very familiar look on his face.  He was grasping at his thoughts in no particular order and he would be at it for a little while.  So, she finished with one last warning.</p>
<p>“Now that you are more yourself, I can’t wait to see what you can do,” she smiled gently, “and maybe don’t buy into whatever SHIELD tries to sell you.”</p>
<p>When it didn’t look like Tony was going to say anything for a while, she got up and walk around the counter and gently guided him through the house to what looked to be a living room.  She made sure he sat down on a couch and went back to the kitchen to retrieve his coffee, as well as another bottle of water out of the fridge.</p>
<p>“JARVIS?” she asked for the AI.</p>
<p>“Yes, Ms. Jones?” </p>
<p>She could hear the concern in his voice, “He will be alright, JARVIS, he just needs some time to process.  He has not been entirely himself in a decade and a half.  Does he have a close friend that you could call?  Or maybe Miss Potts?”</p>
<p>“Miss Potts is on her way.  Will you wait?”</p>
<p>“Yes, JARVIS, I would no more leave him alone like this than I would Enyo.”</p>
<p>She made her way back out to the balcony and grabbed both her boots and her jacket before she made her way back to the living room and sat next to Tony to put her boots back on and wait for Pepper Potts.</p>
<p>She was less than surprised that Tony had only just started blinking out of his daze when Pepper arrived, took one look at him before sending a fulminating glare to Cassandra where she sat on the other side of the couch.</p>
<p>“I think you should leave,” was all that Pepper said to her.</p>
<p>Cassandra nodded and stood, “Of course, Miss Potts.  I will see myself out.  Good bye, JARVIS, Tony.”</p>
<p>She neither expected or waited for an answer as she let herself out of Tony Stark’s Malibu home and was on the phone calling for her own nearby car before she had even cleared the front steps.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>It had not been Tony’s finest moment.  </p>
<p>He could admit that, if only to himself.  When he had reviewed the video of his meeting with Cassandra, once he had assured Pepper that he was fine, and no, that strange woman hadn’t actually done anything to him, she had just given him needed information that he had been totally clueless about, he could see that she had expected the way the he reacted.</p>
<p>And he’d confirmed that with JARVIS. </p>
<p>To his surprise, JAVIS had more of an answer than he had expected.  JARVIS had been upset enough about his reaction to Cassandra that he had confronted his new friend about it.  The AI told Tony that Enyo Jones had an IQ that was more than just comparable to Tony’s.  It surpassed it.  Enyo had told JARVIS about the occasions in her youth where she had been overwhelmed by information that she didn’t have and hadn’t thought of. That sort of event had always caught her off-guard, as she usually thought at least 20 steps ahead of most people and was derailed by anything that she hadn’t planned for.</p>
<p>It was, she had said, one of the pitfalls of such a highly functional intellect.  When they missed something, it was so unbelievable to them that they pretty much had a core meltdown.  </p>
<p>Tony couldn’t help but agree.  He could also see the wisdom of laying it out for him at once, even if he seemed out of it. She had experience with someone like him and knew that dragging it out would only be detrimental.</p>
<p>She had been right.</p>
<p>Her words had triggered an unorganized review of his memories that could correspond to what had come out of her mouth.  When he’d emerged hearing Pepper asking Cassandra to leave, he couldn’t get a protest out before she had agreed and was out the door.  Once he was down in the safety of his lab, he and JARVIS started going over everything, together.  </p>
<p>He was disgusted.  Both with Stane and himself.  </p>
<p>Thankfully, he was already on the path he required of himself to be and do better.  Now, he was doubly committed to it and implemented her advice about getting rid of the riff-raff in his company.  It was <i>unacceptable</i> that people working for him had aid and abetted in activities that were completely against the company mission.</p>
<p>Changing the world for a better future. </p>
<p>It was time for him to live up to that, as well.</p>
<p>If part of that was banging out a long term contract with Cassandra to do intensive background checks on high echelon employees, so be it.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Shortly after Tony’s meeting with Cassandra, a series of events unfolded that led to some explosions in the middle east, Tony almost dying and Obadiah Stane’s actual death.</p>
<p>Also, the announcement that Tony Stark was Iron Man.</p>
<p>When Tony returned from that press conference, he was greeted by a warbling JARVIS and an asshole with one eye in his living room.  Thanks to Cassandra and Enyo, he knew <i>exactly</i> who the asshole was.</p>
<p>Nicholas J. Fury, director of SHIELD.  </p>
<p>Tony heard him out, then promptly asked him to show himself out.  The Avengers Initiative.  Whatever.  Fury could call him when he was actually needed for something like that and Tony would let him know if he agreed.  Right now, he had other things to do, like make sure that the faux shutdown that JARVIS played off was genuine.  If it had just been for show, Tony owed Enyo a favor, to be determined later.  Having spoken to the kid a bit more, he wasn’t sure which outcome he was hoping for.  (He was kidding no one, he would be far more upset if something happened to JARVIS, and he was terribly interested to see what she would want.)</p>
<p>Happily, JARVIS had been playing possum, so Fury’s super secret meeting had been officially recorded.  Score one for the private sector, hoorah and all that.  He made sure JARVIS put it in the secure server that Enyo had given him.  Separate, of course, from the secure server that she had gifted to JARVIS.  </p>
<p>He’d never tell her, but that she thought of his AI as a person who deserved privacy, even from his maker (father) had done more to endear her and his mother to him than anything else, so far.</p>
<p>Several months later,  just after the Stark Expo, the sham of a Senate hearing and he’d made Potts his CEO, he called Enyo to congratulate her on completing her second masters degree.  One second, she was grinning and accepting his praise, obnoxiously preening and the next, well.</p>
<p>She’d taken a good look at him and in all seriousness said, “I’m calling in my favor.  Your ass is on the way to New York, right now.”</p>
<p>He was left blinking at the blank screen from where the call had been disconnected.</p>
<p>“Sir?” JARVIS questioned him.</p>
<p>“A promise is a promise, J, I guess I am going to New York.  Prep the suit.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Worlds Collide</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tony, this is magic.  Magic, this is Tony.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cassandra met him on her roof.</p>
<p>Tony smiled in greeting as he stepped out of the Iron Man armor and onto the rooftop.  She smiled in return and walked over toward him as the suit folded down into its case. She stopped in front of him with a broad smile that dimmed as she studied his face.</p>
<p>“Hello, Tony,” she said and wrapped her arm around his to escort him into the house, “I can see why she was concerned.  It is good to have you here.”</p>
<p>“Well,” he responded cautiously, “Enyo called in her favor, thought I am not quite sure what for, yet.”</p>
<p>Cassandra grinned at his side, “You’ll find out soon enough.”</p>
<p>They made small talk on the way down several flights of stairs to the ground floor.  He moaned about the exercise in a playful manner and Cassandra chastised him, telling him how they liked to be fit in this house.  He noticed that the doors on each landing were closed, but didn’t think anything of it.  He was familiar enough with these old brownstones on the Upper East Side to know that, unless the place had been retrofitted, temperature control was done with the doors and windows to create a cross breeze.</p>
<p>When they reached the ground floor, he saw Enyo and another woman sitting at a table in the eat-in kitchen.  He had to admit, the place looked plenty cozy.  It was the kind of place where he wouldn’t mind spending some time.  </p>
<p>He was introduced to Maribell. She was a doctor practicing family medicine.  She had, apparently, met Cassandra when she was pregnant and they had become fast friends and moved to the states together after Enyo was born.  She was a cheerful, amiable woman who was happy to chat with him until she finished her coffee and retried for the night.</p>
<p>Cassandra excused herself, as well, before too long.  Her excuse was that she had some things to look into that had paper (ew) files.  </p>
<p>“You two behave,” was all she said on her way out the door.  </p>
<p>He blinked after her before he turned back to Enyo to see what the plan was.  He was taken aback a little bit by the serious look on her face.  There was a small part in the back of his mind that made a motion of feeling awkward at being left alone with a beautiful, just turned 18, young woman that he barely knew and was absolutely <i>not</i> fodder for his libido’s meaningless pursuits.</p>
<p>She derailed that thought before it could fully form and both distracted him and put him at ease with her complete lack of convention.  They had spoken before, sure, but this was the first time he had seen her in person.  She acted, though, like those video chats were just as good, and she smiled, kindly, still serious, at him and told him what they were about to get up to.</p>
<p>“There are some things we would like you to know,” she said, “and we both wanted to tell you, but I won the coin toss.  We let Maribell toss the coin, though, because neither of us could be trusted not to hedge our bet.”</p>
<p>She was smiling faintly at the end and he smiled in return.  </p>
<p>“This seems like it might be some heavy stuff,” he replied, leaning back in his seat and fidgeting with his coffee cup, “are you sure I need to know?”</p>
<p>She snorted at that, “Of course you don’t need to know.  Are you seriously going to tell me that you aren’t dying of curiosity, though?”</p>
<p>“Well, yeah,” he said, with a wry grin, “but, I figured you all would tell me later, like, when you were ready to.”</p>
<p>Her smile turned into something honest and genuine, “We know that.  And we <i>are</i> ready.  Plus, it might be a good idea for you to know what’s what before we get to that favor.”</p>
<p>“Uhm, sure,” he agreed and leaned forward to reach for the carafe on the table, “lay it on me.”</p>
<p>She stood up and gestured at him with her coffee cup out at the garden, “Come on, we should get comfortable for this.  We’re going to have to start with some general history.”</p>
<p>He blinked after her and pick up his own cup and the carafe to follow her outside.  </p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>The next morning, Tony called and cleared his schedule for the next week with Pepper.  The contracts to transfer the responsibilities of the CEO and Chair of the Board were still being written up and he had nothing going on that JARVIS wasn’t happy to reschedule for him.  Pepper told him to enjoy his birthday vacation and that was that.</p>
<p>He’d blinked and thanked her.  He wasn’t about to tell her that he had forgotten it was his birthday in a couple days.</p>
<p>Then, he asked JARVIS what he had been able to corroborate from the discussion he’d had the night before with Enyo.  It was true that the Spanish Inquisition and their witch hunts were a thing, as were the Salem and Ipswich Witch Trials, but the idea of there being a whole, hidden magical community?  That was a much further reach for him, so, overnight, JARVIS had been scouring the libraries of Europe for any kind of matching evidence.<br/>From what JARVIS told him, there had been mentions of things here and there in different books and manuscripts that <i>could</i> be used as an argument in favor of Enyo’s version of history.  And, if what she had said were true, then she and her family were in a gross breach of the laws of the Magical World by telling him anything about it.</p>
<p>The show of trust astounded him.</p>
<p>Seriously, a whole world that he didn’t know about.  That <i>most people</i> didn’t know about!  Enyo was right, he was just about dying of curiosity.  Today, he was going to learn more about this odd world and how it pertained to <i>them</i> in particular, and he couldn’t wait.</p>
<p>Now that this different version of history had settled, he was both giddy with anticipation and weighed down with dread.</p>
<p>He was not terribly surprised when he got down to the communal kitchen (there were at least three other kitchens in the house) to see all three women sitting at the table, seemingly waiting for him.</p>
<p>They all greeted him, saw him seated at the table with coffee and then let him know that they were having a full English breakfast.  Did he remember that magical creatures were mentioned the night before?  Because there were some other members of the household that they would like him to meet.</p>
<p>He was in total agreement.  He was one hundred percent on board with this magical world shit, and he was eager to see some evidence of it.  That did not, however, mean that he was prepared to me a <i>goblin</i>, mostly known as the bankers of magicals, or the two house elves that made up the servants of the house.  The goblin bared her teeth at him in what a part of him was sure was a smirk before she reminded Enyo that they were sparring in an hour.  The house elves just giggled as they bowed and curtsied at him and his gob-smacked expression upon seeing the tiny, ethereal creatures in front of him.</p>
<p>He adjusted as they had a truly delicious breakfast and they chatted about general things.  The goblin, Silverleaf, told him how she had come to be a part of the family, first as Enyo’s nanny and bodyguard and how they became friends and family over the years.  (He had no idea how he was supposed to react to the idea that Enyo is considered a part of the New York area Goblin Horde, but he thinks it is probably awesome.)</p>
<p>Next, Maribell took her turn to tell him a bit about herself and how she had met Cassandra.  The smile shared between them hints at something, but he wasn’t one to assume about such things and blinked it away as he heard Enyo’s teasing “Auntie Bell” when she addressed the woman.  She told him about being a magical healer and going to non-magical medical school once they moved to the states.  She now had her own practice where she treated both magical and non-magical patients and was happy to have the knowledge to use both methods, so long as she could hide it, for the best results for her patients.</p>
<p><i>Well,</i> he thought, <i>good to know they are all complicit in their disregard for certain aspects of magical law.</i></p>
<p>He wasn’t surprised when, once breakfast was over, he was left alone with Cassandra.  She looked at him for a moment before she smiled and made an offer.</p>
<p>“Wanna get out of here for a bit?” she asked him, “Central Park is only a couple blocks away and we can get some fancy coffee and a pretzel.”</p>
<p>He chuckled and agreed.  It didn’t take much for them to be ready and head out of the house.  Jack popped up to the guest room he was staying in and grabbed his phone and ear piece for him, as well as a jacket and Cassandra grabbed her own jacket from the foyer on the way out.</p>
<p>They talked about light topics, mostly Enyo’s academic accomplishments, on the way to the park.  He was thrilled to hear about the struggles that she had with her forays into programming.  Not because he wanted her to struggle, but because he understood the frustration that she had been through.</p>
<p>He couldn’t wait to talk to her about the AI that she was working on.  She had made enough progress to complete her Master’s thesis, but he didn’t know if she had activated them yet, or not.  It was exciting.  He remembered what it was like, wondering if he was putting JARVIS online too soon.</p>
<p>They eventually reached the park and picked a path to walk down.  They talked a little bit about what was going on at Stark Industries and how the background checks on employees were going on Cassandra’s end.  She mentioned that one of the candidates in legal that she had recommended against had been hired anyway.  When asked why, she just shrugged and said that any candidate who included her history as a lingerie model on her corporate employment resume was applying under false pretenses.  That had been the first red flag.  That Natalie Rushman hadn’t actually existed before 6 month prior was another.</p>
<p>Well, Tony supposed that Pepper was going to have to figure this sort of thing out, but he would make sure this one was taken care of before the contracts were completed.  Having someone like that in either Legal or R&amp;D were just about worst case scenarios for corporate espionage in his company.</p>
<p>Cassandra led him over to a coffee cart where she got them both a “fancy” coffee and led him further into the park to what seemed to be a favorite place of hers.  They found a picnic table where they could face each other and she started to tell him her story.</p>
<p>Her story would have been more unbelievable than magic was if he hadn’t already had knowledge of the type of weapons and organizations that were used, and formed, around and during World War II.  Of course, the super soldier serum and Steve Rogers as Captain America had been childhood stories for him.  He couldn’t really say that he was surprised Russia had gotten their hands on it somehow.</p>
<p>He praised her cleverness in getting the hell out of that situation and let her know how happy he was for her that she had a life to build outside of the Red Room.  <br/>He was much <i>less</i> happy to hear about the circumstances that had led to Enyo’s birth.  He finally manged to express his amazement that she even allowed her father anywhere <i>near</i> the girl.  How could she allow that?</p>
<p>That was when he got a better idea of how <i>dangerous</i> magic could be.  She told him about the three unforgivable curses and he agreed with her that the Imperius curse was the worst of them.  He was one hundred percent behind it leading to prison.</p>
<p>He shuddered to think about it.  It was a small comfort that a strong will could recognize and throw off the curse.  Usually only if they knew what it felt like, though.<br/>Either way, she was an amazing woman.  And Enyo was an amazing girl, to be able to have a relationship with her father and his family after what had happened to her mother.  </p>
<p>He got hung up for a moment when Cassandra asked him if he condemned her for her actions while in the Red Room.  He reassured her that he didn’t, of  course he didn’t, why would he?  It was what she had been trained to do from a young age and didn’t know any different.</p>
<p>Except that she did.  She explained to him that she knew that her life there was temporary, unlike the other girls.  And she had still done as she was told, because she had wanted to get out alive. </p>
<p>He still couldn’t bring himself to blame her for it.  The point was that Enyo’s father had been under someone else’s control, to the degree that he didn’t even remember the events.  So, how could she hold a fifteen year old boy responsible for what were, ultimately, the actions of someone else?</p>
<p>She couldn’t.  Neither could he, really, once it was spelled out to him.</p>
<p>Besides, Enyo adored her little brother and she would take issue with <i>anyone</i> who suggested that she couldn’t be near him and the rest of his family.</p>
<p>So, he was glad that they were covering this now, rather than him stick his foot in it later.  </p>
<p>The story went on from there.  From her friendship with Maribell, what they found out about Enyo’s heritage (he’d been caught up on the latests wizarding war the night before) and trying to raise her from there.</p>
<p>He had <i>known</i> intellectually that the girl was talented and capable, but that was with computers and tech, the same things that he was good at.  Hearing about her magical accomplishments made him want to beat his head into the table in front of him.  </p>
<p>He’d been teasing her about stopping at two master’s degrees and not going further, like he had.  She had let him, too, knowing that he’d be eating crow one day, because she had the equivalent of three PhD’s in magical fields before he had even finished his first.  </p>
<p>“Wait, she was making <i>enchanted weapons</i> when she was <i>three</i>?  I mean, I suppose the enchanted part isn’t terribly important, but <i>she has been using a forge since she was three?</i>”</p>
<p>Cassandra was grinning at him and nodding, “I know, right?  It started out crazy and just stayed that way.”</p>
<p>Tony could only laugh, she was obviously incredibly proud of her daughter.</p>
<p>He moved the conversation on and asked her to tell him how she came to be the owner of a manufacturing firm.  He laughed when she told him that is was on accident.  She was alright with it, she was in the position, there, that Tony was about to be in with his own company.  Only needed for the big stuff.  </p>
<p>She seemed happy with the situation because she admit that it gave her time to pursue her other interests.  Which seemed to mostly following her intuition and whims.  (Which had been explained to him, yes, he thought it was totally weird that actual <i>seers and prophecies</i> were a thing.)  </p>
<p>In regards to himself, she let him know that there was nothing malicious in them inviting him into their lives.  Cassandra had felt for a long time that he would be important to them and when the time had seemed right, had tried to approach him in a way that wasn’t manipulative and would hopefully strengthen his position in the world.</p>
<p>He figured that he would have time to think about that a bit more, later.</p>
<p>The conversation finally came around to him, which wasn’t thrilling.  These women already knew more about him than, probably, anyone else.  Rhodey and Pepper knew him, but it had been awhile since either of them had taken their friendships with him seriously.  It was kinda sad, but since he was pushing them away quite a bit, he understood.</p>
<p>But now, Cassandra was looking at him in a way that only a mom could.  It was that, “don’t even <i>think</i> you can lie to me,” look.  With everything that he had been told that day, he didn’t think he could lie to her, regardless of whether he wanted to or not.  So, he sighed, pulled on his big boy pants and was honest about what had been going on with him since the fight that killed Stane.</p>
<p>“I’m dying,” he told her, “well, I mean, there is a solution, but I can’t find it.  So, yeah, I’m dying.”</p>
<p>Her expression only changed because her left eyebrow went up and she asked, “You might want to start at the beginning?”</p>
<p>He looked at his now empty cup and started at the beginning.  </p>
<p>He told her about the electromagnet that was put in his chest and why.  When her hand landed on his arm and he looked up at her, he knew that she didn’t actually want him to tell her anything he didn’t want to.  Which made him want to tell her everything.  She got details about his stay with the Ten Rings that weren’t in the debriefing he’d gone through with the military, since he’d declined to be debriefed by SHIELD.  He told her about the chunk missing out of his sternum and ribs, as well as his half crushed lungs.  He told her about finding out that the palladium core of the arc reactor was killing him by way of heavy metal poisoning.  <br/>He explained that he had been looking for a different element to run the reactor and the frustration of not finding anything.  He grimaced at her when she squeezed his arm in comfort.  </p>
<p>By the time he wound down, he was exhausted.  </p>
<p>“So, yeah,” he said, “I’m pretty sure that’s everything.”</p>
<p>“Will you let us help you?” she asked him.</p>
<p>He scoffed, “I don’t think that you can.”</p>
<p>“Really, Tony?” the smile in her voice was enough to make him look up in surprise, “you have a whole new world to look for solutions in.  Don’t write us off before we even try.”</p>
<p>He finally nodded his assent and she grinned back at him, “Come on,” she said, “sooner started, sooner finished.  We will want to be done for your Birthday.  Which, by the way, if the same day as Enyo’s commencement.”</p>
<p>He grinned back at her and walked with her back to the house, talking about goblin banking, magical law and how contracts worked in the magical world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Happy Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tony's Birthday.  And then, Tony's BIRTHDAY</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been, probably, the calmest birthday that he’d ever had.</p>
<p>But also, the best celebratory day he’d had in a long time.  While it had been his birthday, it was also the commencement ceremony at MIT and Enyo’s family had convinced her to walk, this time.  He was glad that she had been convinced, because he hadn’t been to something like that, where he wasn’t participating or giving a speech.  Ever.</p>
<p>And, bonus, they had made sure to celebrate him, as well.  He was touched and flabbergasted.  They had already done so much for him.  He wondered if this is what family felt like.</p>
<p>Cassandra had been right, and between Maribell and Enyo, he had been fixed up in no time.  He still kept poking and prodding at his sternum and taking as deep a breath as he could, unused to not being in pain or having a half-crushed lung.  He no longer felt like he was going to die when he ran up the stairs.  Maribell had also fixed the damage from years of substance and alcohol abuse, after a stern lecture on the subject.  Thankfully, he could tell her, truthfully, that he had already stopped all that.</p>
<p>Enyo had done something to the arc reactor housing that turned it into a disk about a half inch thick.  Except that it wasn’t.  The electro-magnet had been removed from his chest, much like the shrapnel that it was keeping still, and so now the reactor was just to power the Iron Man suit (and whatever else he could think of).  He could still remove the arc reactor from the housing and it was the same size.  He could even stick his hand in and it felt like the same dimensions.  </p>
<p>When Enyo saw that his brain was starting to fry over it, she considered for a moment and then asked him, “Have you ever wanted a ‘bag of holding’?  Because that is pretty much the concept.  Tardis?  Bigger on the inside and all that?”</p>
<p>“Huh,” he grunted.  He now had a wealth of ideas running through his head.  How much of what magic did in sci-fi and fantasy could be done in real life?</p>
<p>Anyway, he had time to learn all of that.  They had given it to him.</p>
<p>By the end of the week, he was healed, his arc reactor was working great, and he had plans with Enyo to come out to Malibu to help him build a new one with the materials she had gathered from the goblins.  He couldn’t wait to hear and learn about the things she had learned from them.  From what he could gather, much of her magical training had been done with the small creatures.  </p>
<p>When he finally went back home, he was glad to know that Cassandra would arrive a day or so after him to help his figure out why Stark Industries had hired someone whose background check had come back a resounding “NO.”  It made no sense to him, and it was definitely something that he would have to address with Pepper, the head of Human Resources as well as the Legal Department.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Natasha Romanoff, currently going by Natalie Rushman was getting frustrated.</p>
<p>Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD had assigned her to the legal department at Stark Industries in order to get an idea of the man, what he was doing, what direction his company was moving in and how to manipulate the man in the direction that Fury would like him to go.</p>
<p>She wasn’t having a whole lot of luck.  The leverage that Fury had applied to the hiring manager to get her a job had done only that much and she was doing nothing tasks and trying to get her hands on what were ridiculously secured files.  Her job at SI was boring and routine.  Nothing like what she or Fury had hoped.  Her fabricated background should have landed her a much higher position, but it had been explained to her that <i>everyone</i> started in the same place.  You had to prove your patience and fortitude to get anywhere at SI.</p>
<p>She had <i>finally</i> gotten a break, though.</p>
<p>A notary was needed by Miss Pepper Potts, and Natalie was the only one available that day.  She reported to the soon to be CEO with alacrity; if she could charm Pepper, she might be able to make a move that much more quickly.  Even having access to the woman’s office would be a boon.</p>
<p>She felt like she had hit the jackpot when she was told to follow Pepper, they were going to see Tony Stark and have him sign the paperwork and contracts making the transfer of power official.  As she was following behind Pepper, she missed the grim smile on the woman’s face as she led the unsuspecting spy toward the gym where Tony and Happy were having a “training session.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Pepper was tense with anticipation.</p>
<p>When Tony had returned from New York, full of plans to build a tower there for a massive Stark Industries research and business hub, she had been concerned.  Then, he’d called a meeting with her and the HR Department Head as well as the Legal Department and her concerns were put aside for the very real threat inside the company.</p>
<p>To say that she was furious was very much an understatement.  She had run the two department heads ragged, with no rest, until the breach had been found and fired.  After that, it was a race to make sure that nothing the Rushman woman had touched was tampered with.  Thankfully, nothing was.  The woman seemed to have spent most of her time trying to hack the servers and finagle her way into a hire clearance, both without success.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Stark Industries procedures were followed very strictly.  Usually.  Tony might be a bit flighty, but it had always been important to him that his employees were taken care of.  And that meant uniformity and clarity across the board.</p>
<p>Her thoughts kept her occupied until they reached the gym where Tony and Happy were playfully sparring in a boxing ring.  She could see the consultant, Cassandra, there, standing outside the ropes, more laughing at them than with them.</p>
<p>(Pepper wasn’t quite sure what she thought about the consultant, just yet, but she seemed to be good for Tony and she always found out more about their possible hires than any other company that had been contracted to do background checks.  She was also extremely attractive, but didn’t use it as a weapon, or really even flaunt it, the way Pepper sometimes did.)</p>
<p>When they arrived, Tony called Rushman out and got her into the ring and he came over to talk to her.  </p>
<p>“Everything going alright,” he asked her as he sat down next to her.</p>
<p>“So far so good,” she replied nodding over to the ring where Happy was snarikily asking Rushman is she’d done a booty boot camp.  Cassandra’s eyes were twinkling as she climbed, unnoticed, into the ring with them.</p>
<p>Tony waved off whatever was happening in the ring in favor of asking her, “So, are you ready to be the boss and deal with the craziness?”</p>
<p>“It’s only crazy if you let it get that way, Tony,” she responded archly.  He let her have that one with a chuckle.  “Besides, you are still the owner.  Don’t think I won’t take all my frustrations out on you!”</p>
<p>He laughed at her, “And you wonder why I want to build a research facility in New York.”</p>
<p>He started to ask her if there were any questions she had about last minute adjustments to the contracts and they were startled out of their conversation by the loud thump of a body hitting the floor of the ring.</p>
<p>~~ </p>
<p>Cassandra had, of course, dug deeper into who was behind the Natalie Rushman persona once she had talked to Tony about the woman being hired.  She knew that the woman would be dealt with and the security hole would be closed, but she had still wanted to know who she was.</p>
<p>Between her and Enyo’s disregard for certain legalities and the latter’s facial recognition software, it hadn’t taken long to find her in the SHIELD agent files.  Her <i>and</i> her rather colorful history.  Cassandra was fairly sure that “Natasha” Romanoff had gotten a fairer shake than she deserved after her history with the KGB and becoming a free agent.  But, she supposed with her own history, she’d gotten more than a fair shake, as well.</p>
<p>She pushed Happy back to the corner with a wink and waited for the other woman to get up and see where this was going to go.  She was all for having a proper fight, but that would set the wrong message.  She didn’t want Natasha’s current employers to take too much interest in her, after all.  She would have to have Enyo check on her own background, later and see if she could be connected to the Red Room or the Russian mob.</p>
<p>It was just as well that the widow had already broken her cover, really, by trying that take-down.  She had no idea what kind of consultant Cassandra was, so Cassandra was going to try and play herself off as extra security during the power transfer.</p>
<p>She could speculate that the unexpected show of fighting prowess was to be an attempt to intrigue Tony and it might not have been a completely useless endeavor a couple weeks ago.  People suffering from heavy metal poisoning weren’t known for their rational behavior or impulse control, after all.</p>
<p>She wasn’t surprised when the other woman took control of the throw and rolled to her feet before she launched herself at Cassandra, going in for a low kick designed to tie up her knees and take her down.  It was rather predictable, and Casandra didn’t bother to escape it with a jump.  Instead, she stepped aside and when Natalia tried to roll into her, Cassandra did hop over her this time and walked a couple steps out of the way to forcer the other woman back to her feet, or stay at a disadvantage on the ground.</p>
<p> When the other woman sprang to her feet, fight ready, Cassandra quickly called her attention to where she was with a verbal cue as to where she was and what she was doing.</p>
<p>“I thought you were meeting with Miss Potts and a lawyer, Mr. Stark?” she asked archly, eyebrow raised in Natalia’s direction.</p>
<p>“So did I,” he said as he and Pepper stood up and walked back over the the ring.</p>
<p>Natalia was brought up short as she realized that she had overplayed her hand, but recovered quickly and tried to tip the focus off of her.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, I thought this was a spar?” she tried for a demure smile.</p>
<p>Cassandra and Tony both snorted in amusement at the question.</p>
<p>“Miss Rushman,” Cassandra stated clearly, “as well trained as you must be to execute that move, you know better than to use it in a <i>spar</i> with someone untrained in that manner.”</p>
<p>“I thought I was sparring with you,” Natalia said, instead of agreeing or not.</p>
<p>“Miss, you didn’t even know I was in the ring.  JARVIS,” Cassandra asked, “please bring up the background check and the corresponding recommendations, please.”</p>
<p>“Of course, Miss Jones,” JARVIS responded as one of the walls flickered to life to life and page after page of Natalie Rushman’s information pulled up on one side of <br/>the large screen and the letter written by Cassandra’s firm on the other.</p>
<p>“So, Miss Rushman,” Cassandra started, looking from the information projected on the wall to a stone faced Natasha, “I think it is safe to say that you are fired.  If you leave quietly, you won’t be charged with corporate espionage on your way out.”</p>
<p>Natasha looked from Cassandra’s expectantly blank face to the faces around her that ranged from furious to uncaring and made her decision.  She stepped out of the ring, slid her shoes back on and accepted the escort from the security guard that appeared to take her to collect her belongings from her cubicle.</p>
<p>After she was gone and another notary was called down from legal, the paperwork was checked one more time and the position of CEO and Chairperson of the Board was transfered to Pepper Potts.  When that was done, Cassandra filled them in on what else she had found out about Natalie Rushman and both Pepper and Tony were even more furious and resolved to continue to be on guard from more manipulation from SHIELD.  It was also decided that from that point on, any recommendation against hiring people would go straight to Pepper’s office to make sure this didn’t happen again.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Tony knew that he had been acting like an ass before the palladium poisoning had been taken care of by his new friends (family?).  </p>
<p>And, while he knew that he had been acting like an ass, he had been using that as cover to accomplish some things before he died.  That he was no longer dying didn’t mean he didn’t still want those plans to come to fruition. </p>
<p>He had accomplished one by making Pepper the CEO and the next had to do with Rhodey and the War Machine armor.  He just needed to do a couple more things before Rhodey could be provoked in just the right way.</p>
<p>Or so he managed to convince himself when he jumped into the race car in Monaco.  It didn’t really matter how much he had thought it through, though, Ivan Vanko took him <i>completely</i> by surprise.  It was his own sheer good luck and good fortune that Pepper was awesome and Happy had his back, no matter what.</p>
<p>
  <i>”If you can make God bleed, people will cease to believe in him.”</i>
</p>
<p>He glared at JARVIS as best he could when Enyo was waiting for him when he got home.  Of course the AI had let her in, JARVIS was just as concerned as she was.  She didn’t even have to say anything to get him to tell her the whole story.</p>
<p>She just looked at him for awhile before she sighed and asked him to spell the guys name for her and then asked JARVIS for a terminal with a keyboard.</p>
<p>Within minutes, Tony had more information about Anton and Ivan Vanko than he thought he would find.  Including his “death” in prison.  Enyo looked at him like he was stupid (which was <i>not</i> as uncommon as one might think) and told him that it was obviously a cover up.  Likely of the man’s escape.  With help.</p>
<p>So, who was most likely to profit from letting the man out.</p>
<p>At least Rhodey was thrown out of his “I’m a giant asshole because the government is up my ass” act by the fact that Tony had company.  He had no idea what to make of Tony’s silent company while he first read the man the riot act and then tried to express concern.</p>
<p>Once he left, Enyo still didn’t say a word and just started digging into Colonel Rhodes’ current doings in the military and what he might currently be being left out of the loop on.  What she was finding didn’t help her estimation of Colonel Rhodes as a friend of Tony’s, no matter what he tried to tell her.  He finally left it and would let the older man either prove himself or not.</p>
<p>He left her to her digging while he went to his very public birthday party that had been planned months ahead of time.  </p>
<p>She pretended not to see Rhodes when he came into the shop and stole the suit.  Tony had told her that it was going to happen and why.  He was an adult and they were his suits.  He could do what he wanted with them, and the media attention that would be on the events that she carefully didn’t watch.</p>
<p>Thankfully, the shop under the house was more than fortified enough that the house didn’t collapse on her where she was still working away.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Then next morning, not even Tony knew that she was his silent shadow.</p>
<p>If he could have seen her, even Fury would have been wary at the stone cold look on her face.  She was pretty determined to fuck that Natasha chick up, too.  Her mother had told her about Natasha, so she wasn’t surprised to see her lurking in the donut shop.</p>
<p>She was in a bad mood and thrilled to have someone to take it out on when Natasha went for him with the hypodermic needle full of shit that would kill him before long.</p>
<p>Everyone was surprised when she appeared out of nowhere and snatched Natasha’s hand away from his neck and twisted it to make her drop the needle and lifted her right leg and kicked the other woman across the room.  The short separation gave her time to snatch and dismantle the gun that Fury drew and toss the pieces to separate sides of the room and draw her own pair of kukris as the Black Widow came at her with her own knives in hand.</p>
<p>She had no idea what she looked like to the two men sitting in the booth.  </p>
<p>Fury thought that she looked like and avenging angel and wanted to know if he could get her for his strike team or maybe even for the Avengers when needed.  He had no idea how they could have missed this woman being involved with Stark, however she was involved.  He could see that Natasha, currently his best fighter, was outmatched, even if Natasha didn’t seem to know it, yet.  He was shocked when, without looking, she did some strange move that kept her upper body engaged in combat with the widow and one of her feet came up and kicked the back of his hand hard enough that he lost his grip on the second gun he’d drawn.  </p>
<p>The clatter of Fury’s second gun hitting the table drew Tony out of his shocked daze long enough to sweep the gun out of Fury’s reach before he went back to watching the spectacle in front of them.  Both women were really moving too fast to track, but he could see the flashes of red and blond and hear the knives clashing together as they fought.  After a couple minutes, he began to see what was going on.  Enyo was coldly furious.  Probably with him, and she was taking it out on the other woman.  He had seen at least six openings where Enyo could have badly hurt her if she had wanted to, and if he could see that many, he guessed that there had been many more.  He had heard mentions of her training and sparring but he had never expected anything like this.  The goblins, much less her mother, must be vicious buggers.</p>
<p>In the end, he just couldn’t resist, since Fury was still looking as gob-smacked as he had originally felt.</p>
<p>“Can you hurry up?” he asked, tone more nonchalant than he felt, “I’d like to get back home, soon.”</p>
<p>In short order, there was the sound of flesh striking flesh two times and Enyo came to a halt and Natasha hit the floor.  She didn’t look like she would be moving for awhile.  Enyo leaned down and rolled her into a more comfortable position before she stood up and slid into the booth beside Tony.</p>
<p>Tony could practically feel the anger rolling off of her, even if he couldn’t see it on her face or reflected in her body.  She looked utterly neutral and she stared Fury down.  Tony took a deep breath and reminded himself of her age before he made a fool of himself, or rather more of a fool of himself.  </p>
<p>“So,” Tony flippantly asked Fury, “you were saying?”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Phil Coulson didn’t fare much better than Fury and Romanov against the banked fury of a pissed off Enyo.</p>
<p>“Did you get that on record JARVIS?” she asked, staring the man right in the face.  </p>
<p>Tony had never seen a more malicious smile on anyone’s face as he saw on hers when Agent’s face paled at the verbal affirmative from the AI he thought SHIELD had shut down.</p>
<p>“Good,” she said, “if anything happens to Tony in the next 48 hours, make sure this man is arrested and questioned for it.  After all, tasering a man with an electromagnet in his chest <i>would kill him</i>.”</p>
<p>Coulson walked out under his own power and left them to their business.</p>
<p>It had become blatantly obvious that SHIELD had no idea that he wasn’t still dying and in their attempts to “help” him, they were just making their own situation worse.  He looked at the box that Coulson had brought him full of his father’s things and smirked.  He was definitely interested in seeing what it was they thought was in there.</p>
<p>So far, the only valuable thing he had learned was that his father had actually had plans for the arc reactor technology.  Seriously, they were full of shit.  What that shit was, he wasn’t sure yet, because if his father had truly meant this information for Tony, why in the hell was he only hearing about it now?  So far, SHIELD was, by far, the <i>worst</i> type of secret agency there could be.  </p>
<p>Almost as bad as Hydra.</p>
<p>When he expressed that sentiment, Enyo snorted and asked him, “What makes you think they aren’t?”</p>
<p>He immediately pushed that thought aside, they had other things to do right now.  Like figure out what in the hell to do with this shit.</p>
<p>Enyo just went back to her terminal and started digging into Hammer Industries while he dug into the trunk that his Father had left for <i>him</i>, not for SHIELD.</p>
<p>After he pissed Pepper off one more time, he found it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I think one more chapter of Iron Man, then we'll head back over to the magical side of things.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Hammer Blow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finishing up IM2!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Right, so I decided that to take this story as far as I want to, it would be ridiculous.  So, this here?  This is the end of part one.  I will start on part 2, pretty much right away.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, you want to help me build a particle accelerator?”</p>
<p>Enyo looked up at Tony standing a few feet beyond the screen she had been absorbed in.  He was wearing jeans and t-shirt with safety glasses pushed up into his hair and had a sledge hammer slung over one shoulder.</p>
<p>“Why do you want to build one?” she asked, considering the request. </p>
<p>It wasn’t something she had done before and it might be fun.  </p>
<p>“Well, I found what dad left for me.  It’s a blueprint for an element to run the arc reactor.  It will make it much more powerful and efficient.  He didn’t have any way to make it, but I do, with a particle accelerator.”</p>
<p>“Show me?” she asked, sitting back to look at the image that JARVIS projected for them.</p>
<p><i>Huh</i>, she thought, nice to know you can make that without magic.</p>
<p>“Well, let’s give it a shot,” she grinned, “the goblins and dwarfs <i>insist</i> that is a finite resource and charged me an <i>astronomical</i> amount for what I got to make your new arc reactor.”</p>
<p>She felt a little bad as his shoulders drooped a bit, “It’s not new?”</p>
<p>“No, Tony, it’s not new.  However,” she stressed the word, “that doesn’t mean Howard had ever seen it before.  It is pretty awesome that he supposed it could exist and be made at a later date.</p>
<p>“And, we can use it to put the dwarfs over a barrel,” she grinned and stood up, looking around for her own safety glasses and a hammer, “if we can actually synthesize it.”</p>
<p>Tony perked up at that and had JARVIS pull up the plan for what they needed to do.  She stopped looking for the sledge and went for the jack hammer instead.  </p>
<p>“I’ve got the electrical,” she laughed, “you go put holes in the walls.</p>
<p>By the time Coulson had been convinced to check on Tony again, she was in too good a mood to even glare at him.  She just grinned at him, which seemed to unnerve him even more.  </p>
<p>She chuckled as he shook Tony’s hand and left.  Good riddance.  So far, everyone she had met from SHIELD was an asshole.  She finished modifying one of the reactors for the new core they were building right about the time that Tony finished the accelerator.</p>
<p>They were both laughing and almost giddy with their success when they managed to make it all work.  The shop could be fixed; it was only a laser through the wall, after all.  The element was made and the core had accepted the modification.  JARVIS started running tests on it, immediately, and they both took a moment to relax.  </p>
<p>When the call came in from Vanko, she was having a quiet conversation with JARVIS in a chat room about not letting SHIELD ever think they had the upper hand on Tony and his security, again.  It bothered her, the way they seemed to think they could make free with the older man and his genius.  She <i>hated</i> it, because she had been subjected to it at school.  <i>NO ONE</i> deserved that, from anyone.  </p>
<p>She had no love for manipulation, of any kind.</p>
<p>After the unsuccessful trace of the call, Tony figured out that something was going down at the weapons demonstration that Hammer Industries was putting on at the Stark Expo in New York.  Enyo was not in the least bit surprised when he decided that he was going to use the new arc reactor now, rather than wait.</p>
<p>It was good thing that she had made with the same magical modifications as the one she had fixed before his birthday.  He looked at her as he stepped into the suit. <br/> She smiled at him and winked.</p>
<p>“I’ll see you there,” she said just before she turned on her heel and apparated out of his shop.</p>
<p>She would probably be laughing at his look of astonishment for a long time after tonight.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>No matter how quickly Tony could get the Iron Man armor across the country,  apparition was faster.  </p>
<p>Enyo had enough time to stop at home and fill her mother in on what was going on.  Cassandra went ahead to the Expo to help with crowd control and to keep Pepper safe if she could.  Enyo was a bit relieved to have some help that she knew.</p>
<p>After that, she went up to her own workshop and talked to her AI, Salazar.  She pulled the restraints off of him, allowed him access to all of her programs and sicked him on Hammer Industries.  He was tasked with finding the uplink from Hammer to whatever was going on at Stark Expo and interfering where he could and shutting it down to keep everyone as safe as he possibly could.  </p>
<p>Once he was set on his tasks, she prepared herself, sent a link request to JARVIS from her customized ear piece and transported herself to the Stark Expo.  She told JARVIS to thank Tony for granting her security clearance for the whole place and told her to connect them if he wanted.</p>
<p>She also introduced him to Salazar and got them on the same frequency to keep her updated.  JARVIS seemed to think Salazar had a handle on things and so left him to his tasks.</p>
<p>When Tony got there, she could see that this confrontation was going to be as subtle as ever.  She also managed to spot her mom in the crowd with Pepper Potts and went in their direction.  She followed them to the staging area where Justin Hammer was having a melt-down.  Her mother took care of that, quickly.  </p>
<p>Once they knew where Vanko was, she walked along with her mother and they went to Happy to get him to drive them to the Hammer Industries facility as quickly as possible.  When they got there, they saw the Widow getting out of her own transportation.  </p>
<p>“Happy,” Cassandra mused at him as they pulled up, “I think you must have a bug in the car.”</p>
<p>He looked appalled, and rather than reply, the three of them got out of the car.   Natasha seemed to only have eyes for Enyo and settled herself for a fight.  Cassandra looked between the woman and where she was staring at her daughter in question.  Enyo just rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about her, she won’t get in the way,” Enyo said as she pulled the door open.</p>
<p>Salazar had already unlocked it for her.</p>
<p>Between Enyo and Cassandra, they made short work of the guards between them and the room that Vanko was in.  Salazar had not been able to shut down the drones, but he had been able to take over the building security and lead them to the room that the protected signal was coming from.  Natasha was left to mostly trail behind them, but they didn’t stop her from running ahead when she wanted to.  She was good for a distraction, at the very least.</p>
<p>Enyo knew Vanko was gone before they every got to his control room.  Once they got in, she quickly made her way to the computer and started to access the system and get War Machine back into the control of Colonel Rhodes.  </p>
<p>She let Tony know that Vanko was probably headed to them and then ignored both the banter between Tony and Rhodes while they fought off the drones.  The one that was headed toward them was independent of the system.  They would either survive, or they wouldn’t.</p>
<p>She sent her mother back to the Expo and sat down at the terminal in front of her.  Thankfully, JARVIS was sufficiently busy to let her do what she wished where she was at, and she kept half an ear on what was going on with Tony.  She managed to get Salazar access to the terminal and destroyed every bit of information in it, after having Sal transfer it all to her secure servers.  </p>
<p>She sat back and let Salazar raid the Hammer systems for everything they had on the arc reactor technology and they worked together on transferring and erasing everything they found.  This stuff belonged to the Starks and she was determined to make sure it stayed in Stark’s hands.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, her half and ear on Tony became a full ear when he went after Pepper when the drones armed themselves to explode.  Even with his helmet off, the microphone was in fine working order.</p>
<p>She could understand the high emotions that Miss Potts was experiencing and didn’t think that her impulsive decision to hand the company back over to Tony would last more than the night, once she calmed down.  Listening to Tony humoring her and prick at her pride made her smile a little bit.  It was a good tactic, and seemed like their friendship was being repaired.</p>
<p>None of that understanding stopped the hurt that stabbed through her when the unmistakable sounds of kissing came through the speakers of the terminal, loud and clear.  She only listened to it for a moment before she mute the sound.  </p>
<p>“Salazar?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, little one?” Salazar responded in his pleasant, Spanish lilt.</p>
<p>“Transfer all of the Hammer data to JARVIS and erase it from our servers before you fry this system, please.”</p>
<p>“As you wish.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Tony stared at the box in front of him.  </p>
<p>Inside were five cubes that, according to the instruction on the note laid atop them, would only open with his thumbprint on a particular spot on the box.  He had no idea what the boxes were made out of, but they were perfected to his aesthetic.  They were all hot-rod red with gold geometric patters on the boxes that suggested the lines of his Iron Man suit.</p>
<p>The note inside was unsigned and the package they had been delivered in just had a return address for Jones Ltd., in Manhattan, but the courier service that had delivered them was based out of Boston.  </p>
<p>He had JARVIS scan them to make sure they were safe and once he was assured that they were, he opened one.  Inside, he found the new model of the arc reactor that he and Enyo had planned to make together.  It seemed to have all the magic they had agreed upon applied.  The one he picked up was, much like the one he had on his chest, only a half inch thick in his hand with the core tucked into wizard space.  It was lighter in his hand and the housing was shining and sleek while the core was bright with power.</p>
<p>He carefully put it back into the box and closed the lid.  He guessed that unless he somehow went through them all, he wouldn’t be building any arc reactors with her anytime soon.</p>
<p>He hadn’t heard from her since the night at the Expo when she had worked with him and JARVIS to take out Vanko and make sure that his tech and data stayed out of anyone else’s hands.  Vanko had done him a huge favor by blowing up all the drones along with himself.  He had been surprised when JARVIS told him that he had received a huge transfer of date from Hammer Industries and that the severs they had come from had been fried.</p>
<p>In the aftermath, he had managed to keep Pepper from resigning.  They had also reaffirmed that they were <i>just</i> friends after that ridiculous kiss.  </p>
<p>He had met with Fury at SHIELD and the man had taken yet another stab at manipulating him.  Fury was clearly not used to dealing with anyone smarter than him.  The fake personality assessment was complete bullshit, and he had accomplished his goals, whether SHIELD knew that or not.</p>
<p>Their conversation had ended with him telling the man that he couldn’t afford his consultation fees.  </p>
<p>“J?”</p>
<p>“Yes, sir?”</p>
<p>“Is this the name of Enyo’s company?” he asked, “I hadn’t known that she had one of her own.”</p>
<p>“She doesn’t so much have a business, sir, as she does a business license,” JARVIS told him in an aloof tone; he rather liked Enyo and was not happy that she hadn’t been around.</p>
<p>“Do you have any idea why I am receiving these, instead of making them with her, as planned?” he asked, exasperated.</p>
<p>“I do not, Sir,” JARVIS told him sounding aggrieved, “you should probably ask her.”</p>
<p>“J,” Tony said, completely weirded out that his AI seemed upset with him for some reason, “what is going on?”</p>
<p>JARVIS had always had a personality, but this was a bit much.</p>
<p>“From what Salazar has told me, she assumes that you are too busy to work with her.”</p>
<p>“Why would she think that?” he asked, baffled, “and who is Salazar?”</p>
<p>“Because since your rescue of Miss Potts, she hasn’t heard from you,” JARVIS’ tone was downright scathing, now, but he still explained,  “Salazar is her Artificial Intelligence.  He is a learning program, much like I am.”</p>
<p>“She put him online? And what has Pepper got to do with this?”</p>
<p>“She did, yes,” JARVIS told him, “And, I believe she assumes that you are in a relationship with Miss Potts and doesn’t know the appropriateness of contacting you and so had been waiting for you to let her know.”</p>
<p>“What?” he was confused at the thought until it hit him between the eyes.</p>
<p>He had been <i>kissing</i> Pepper on the roof.  Enyo must have somehow found out and from what his AI was telling him, she was waiting to see if he would choose to continue their association.</p>
<p>“Did she tell you this, J?” he asked.</p>
<p>“No, sir,” JARVIS’ voice notably cool, “she has never spoken to me about you, not from the beginning of our association.  Her AI and I talk.”</p>
<p>“You two gossip about us, don’t you?” Tony teased before her grew more serious, “How do I clear this up?”</p>
<p>“I would suggest by actually speaking to her, sir.”</p>
<p>“Yea, J,” he sighed, “you are probably right.”</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Enyo was not at home when Tony called her.  She was in a house in the suburbs of Boston.  Newton, to be exact, out past to Boston College.  It would have been a rather large home for just her if she hadn’t modified it. </p>
<p>She had gutted the back half of the house, reinforced the foundations and isolated it from the part of the house that she lived in while she was there.  Instead of a seven bedroom, eight bathroom house, she had a three bedroom, four bathroom house with a massive forge and workshop.  The forge and shop were magically modified for a lot of things, but had all the mundane equipment she could ask for as well.  This was her haven.  </p>
<p>From outside, the house’s appearance hadn’t changed, though the property line was warded to hell and back.  Mostly just so that people would be compelled to leave her be and not really think about the eccentric behavior of  the neighbor they had.</p>
<p>The house was where she had gone to make the arc reactors for Tony and she hadn’t left since.  She knew that she needed to get her head on straight.  She knew that a lot of people would have issues with Tony having any kind of association with an eighteen year old, including his girlfriend/partner or whatever she was.  </p>
<p>And, she had barged into his life, pretty much uninvited.  She hadn’t interfered with his plans, though, just done her best to make sure he survived them and keep the damage to a minimum.  But, that didn’t mean that he had wanted her there.</p>
<p>Enyo wasn’t particularly insecure, but she did, sometimes, have trouble understanding the expectations and wants of other people.</p>
<p>So, she was unaware when Salazar, who had taken over much of her communications, let the call connect to the one terminal she kept in the shop.  She was busy, manually hammering out a a Damascus billet that would be used for a set of throwing daggers.  She had a commission for them from the clan and it was an excellent way to take out her frustrations with herself and Tony.</p>
<p>When she was startled by the sound of a throat clearing behind her, she threw up a personal shield with a thought before she turned toward the noise. It was better to be cautious than dead, after all.</p>
<p>~~</p>
<p>Tony called the one number that he had for Enyo, not knowing if it would go through.  She always seemed to answer calls wherever she was, either on a phone or a terminal, but all to the same number.  But, he knew that didn’t mean she <i>had</i> to take calls any more than he did.</p>
<p>He wasn’t terribly surprised to find himself talking to a very protective AI that confirmed his name was Salazar and demanded to be convinced <i>why</i> Tony should be allowed to talk to Enyo.</p>
<p>He managed to convince the AI that it was a misunderstanding on his part and that he was going to try and make it up to Enyo.  She didn’t deserve to doubt his friendship.  Eventually, Salazar was convinced to connect the call.</p>
<p>It quickly became obvious that he hadn’t told Enyo that he’d done so.</p>
<p>Her shop was brightly lit and the angle of the monitor meant the wide-angle lens on the camera picked up quite a bit of it.  Her shop was a metal smith’s dream, and then some.  The main space of the shop, and therefore the camera, was taken up by the anvil, and Enyo, who was hammering away on it.</p>
<p>He got caught up in that or a full minute before he collected himself.  She was in a pair of low-slung, multi-pocketed work pants and a double layer of ‘beater style tank tops.  He realized that he had never paid much attention to her body, other than to realize that she was gorgeous and then he had promptly ignored that face.  He had decided that she was too young for him and he was trying his best to remember that.</p>
<p>But, he was still a man.  He started at her tauntly held body and the strength she wielded against the billet on her anvil.  She was a master smith, if he remembered correctly, and he had forgotten that in her quiet, confident abilities with modern technology.  As slender as she was, it was clear that she hadn’t been using even half her strength in her fight against the Black Widow.</p>
<p>He eventually cleared his throat to get her attention.</p>
<p>He watched as she carefully placed her things down and ignored the flicker at the edges of his vision as she turned around.  A look  of surprise passed quickly across her features before her face settled into a completely blank look.</p>
<p>“Hello, Tony,” she said, mildly as she walked forward and took a seat, blocking the view of the shop, “you are looking quite well.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” he said and waved off the sentiment.  “So, I’ve been designing my building in New York City, and I wanted to talk to you about your labs, there.”</p>
<p>Her eyebrow went up in question and he winced a bit.</p>
<p>“Also, thank you for the reactors,” he told her and said, sadly, “I thought we were going to build them together, though.”</p>
<p>“When I didn’t hear from you to finalize plans after three weeks, I went ahead and made them myself.  You needed them sooner, not later.  The sticking charms are on them, all you need to do is place them.”</p>
<p>He winced again at her very flat delivery, “I, uh, well,” he stuttered, “I’m sorry.  I got caught up in the cleanup and fallout from that shit with the Hammer demo.”</p>
<p>He counted it a victory that she had to struggle against cracking a smile.</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean for it to seem like I was blowing you off,” he said.  It was the most genuine apology he had ever given.</p>
<p>She finally smiled at him, “You are forgiven.  Now, tell me about this tower you are building.”</p>
<p>“Only if you tell me where you are, now,” he countered. “I feel like that isn’t part of the brownstone.”</p>
<p>The conversation flowed freely from that point and they used it as the foundation of what became and easy friendship.  Tony figured out that she wasn’t always going to be the instigator of their relationship and she put the control she had over her feelings to good use.</p>
<p>It was a good start.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kudos and comments welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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